Creating Opportunities for Deprived Youth in Cape Town
We are using rugby to tackle the problems in the neighbouring communities of Ocean View and Masiphumlelele High Schools. Through the Atlas rugby programme, children are provided with mentors and sessions on key issues of health, drugs, and crime, which plague their communities and often destroy any hope for a better future.
Development Goals
Education
Health and Wellbeing
Equality
Situation
High rates of alcohol and drug use in the communities cause many children at Ocean View and Masiphumelele High Schools to miss school, and many students have problems with attainment and behaviour. A lack of role models in the community means many kids sadly see gangs and crime as their only option for the future. In Masiphumelele many struggle with alcoholism, and in Ocean View there are significant problems with drugs and crime. On top of these issues, girls in both communities don’t have access to female hygiene products, leaving them no choice but to miss school, having a serious knock-on effect on their education and their future.
Solution
Atlas funds rugby programmes in both schools to give children a safe space away from gangs and crime. Children have role models and mentors in the coaches, who help them deal with the challenges in their community. Through the rugby programme we have delivered sessions on drugs, alcohol, healthy relationships, healthy eating, female hygiene, consent, and self-worth which are helping the kids understand the problems in their community, and for the first time they realise there is a way for them to have a life free from these problems. We have also been able to supply female hygiene products, so the girls no longer have to worry about missing school.
We have been able to build two Atlas media centres in the schools which are making an incredible difference to the children’s education. The media centres provide the kids with access to essential online resources that they otherwise would not be able to use, and we are helping them have a better education, and more choices for a successful career!
Testimonials
“Being a young female who plays rugby in a small town like Ocean View and attending Ocean View Secondary can be tough because of all the surrounding of all these stereotypical people say girls should not be playing rugby and rugby should only be played by males can be really demotivating. Being in this project has motivated me to step up as a young female and show the community that rugby is just not for males but can be played by us woman.”
“Three years ago, I lost my grandpa, and it has been a difficult time. I didn’t really speak about my grandpa to anyone because I was in so much pain. Then I heard of the rugby at school by friends of mine who were playing rugby at the time. I joined as soon as I could because I’ve loved the sport ever since I was little and I felt if I played rugby, I would feel closer to my grandpa, I feel he’s there when I play, supporting me as I’m playing. It brings me happiness and joy and I love how I met new friends who’s more like family. I’ve also joined girls rugby because I want to make a change, so that girls can believe more in themselves and not think everything a boy can do, a girl can’t because girls have the power to do anything a boy can do.”
- Reduce alcohol and drug use by providing health sessions and a coach mentor to change students behaviour and outlook.
- Stop children turning to gangs by giving them an alternative path through the Atlas rugby programmes.
- Improve attainment rates by helping children stay in school longer, ensuring they have more opportunities for higher education and employment. We have already increased girls’ attainment by providing girls with a supply of female hygiene products.
Donations are used to pay for the coach mentors, the cost of upkeeping the playing field at Ocean View, the media centre educator, food and drink, and transport costs for the young people to be able to travel to matches.
Impact
Education
The computer teaching classes provide essential digital literacy skills, creating new learning opportunities and equipping students with tools for the future. In communities where access to technology is limited, these classes offer a bridge to knowledge, covering basic computer skills, coding, and digital safety. Students are introduced to a world of possibilities, allowing them to complete assignments, conduct research, and explore career interests. These sessions not only enhance academic performance but also foster confidence and resilience, empowering students to pursue ambitions and thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Health and Wellbeing
The supplementary health and well-being discussions have seen a sharp increase in open and healthy discussions by the young people and the coaches. Our supply of female hygiene products to the young girls in Masiphumelele High School has meant menstruation is no longer the reason girls miss school, and sessions on drugs, alcohol, healthy relationships, healthy eating, consent, and self-worth have realised a commanding shift in the mind-set and confidence of these young girls and boys.
Equality
Both young boys and girls develop and go on to become young leaders within the programme. The programme is sparking a cycle of positive, generational change and narrative. These young leaders are motivated to inspire self-confidence and drive amongst their peers, creating a ripple effect of empowerment within the community, especially so for women and girls. As the young people take on responsibilities and model positive behaviour, they break down cycles of disempowerment and set new standards of self-motivation, resilience, and ambition. Their involvement not only impacts their own futures but also sets down the groundwork for future generations to embrace leadership and self-worth, building a foundation for sustainable, lasting change.
Help keep disadvantaged young people off the streets and in education
Stories from Masiphumelele and Ocean View High Schools
Lyndel Musandida: A Journey of Perseverance and Opportunity
"My name is Lyndel Musandida, and I'm currently in Grade 12 doing my matric year. I want to study further because I want to make a name for myself...
Zola’s story
When Atlas first met Zola, she was stuck in a community of crime, drugs, and inequality. Now she stands in the face of adversity, captaining the school rugby team and empowering more young girls to stand up for themselves