mbekweni

hope through action plan to provide sports facilities, beginning in Mbekweni, which address some of the urgent needs of the community.

Mbekweni is a township in the Western Cape area of South Africa about 60km North of Cape Town near the City of Paarl. It has a history which can be traced back to the apartheid period and now has a growing population of 24,000, with the gradual urbanisation and trend of rural communities moving to population centres for both employment and services, against a backdrop of decreasing life expectancy.

The general health of the residents is of concern. TB increased in the area by 17% from 2001 to 2002, 15% of the residents live with HIV/AIDS and there is an incident rate of four times that in the USA for epilepsy. Poverty is also resulting in a number of other health related challenges – high teenage pregnancy rates, abused and abandoned children, and growing incidence of alcohol and drug addiction. There was a 54% increase in HIV/AIDS amongst pregnant women from year 2000 to 2001. Only 7.6% of epilepsy patients had received anti-epileptic drugs for more than 3 months of their lives.

In 2006 there were 20 murders, 57 reported rapes and 582 serious assaults. In the last 6 years drug related crimes have escalated by 270%.

It is widely recognised, that for the situation in Mbekweni to change, young adults, and in particular males, must increase their self esteem, improve their physical fitness, become more aware of health issues and develop positive life skills. Research from many academic institutions concludes that sport, and soccer in particular, is a viable and proven catalyst for change.

In order to enable this change to occur, hope through action will build a sustainable indoor facility approximately 2600 m2 of which 1400 m2 will be Astroturf. There will also be offices, training facilities, spectator areas and provision for local based education and health organisations. It will be open by the 2010 South Africa Soccer World Cup opening date. The project capital cost is £1.19M and its annual operating cost is £21,200.
Through this project we will see;

- An increase in awareness of HIV/AIDs and its prevention
- A growing self belief in individuals and the community
- A significant increase in individuals’ health and self esteem
- An increase in community pride and participation
- An opportunity for different communities and racial groups to work and play together in harmony
- A reduction in crime and unacceptable behaviours