Education South Africa Project #25793

Change A Child's Life

by United Through Sport SA

Project Report | Oct 19, 2026
Learning to Swim: A Skill That Could Save a Life

By Morgan Harlin | Chief Operating Officer

Despite being a coastal city surrounded by beautiful beaches and the ocean, many children growing up in Gqeberha have never had the opportunity to learn how to swim. For young people living in under-resourced communities, access to swimming pools, qualified instructors, and formal swimming lessons is often extremely limited. As a result, something that many people consider a basic life skill remains out of reach for thousands of children.

In South Africa, drowning remains a serious concern, particularly among children. Without the ability to swim or an understanding of water safety, young people are left vulnerable in swimming pools, rivers, dams, and the ocean. For children growing up in a coastal city, this lack of access to swimming education is especially concerning.

At United Through Sport, we believe that learning to swim should not be a privilege determined by a child's background or financial circumstances. It is a potentially life-saving skill that every child deserves the opportunity to develop.

Through our swimming programme, we work to address this inequality by providing children from disadvantaged communities with structured swimming lessons and essential water safety education. This year alone, 143 children have participated in our 12-week swimming curriculum, developing their confidence in the water, learning fundamental swimming techniques, and gaining important knowledge about how to stay safe around water.

For many participants, the programme represents their first experience of formal swimming instruction. Some begin their journey feeling nervous or frightened of the water, with little understanding of how to float, breathe correctly, or move independently. Over the course of the programme, children are supported to overcome these fears, gradually developing the skills, confidence, and awareness needed to become safer in aquatic environments.

Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on water safety and essential lifesaving knowledge, helping children recognise potential dangers, understand how to respond in emergencies, and make safer decisions around water. These are skills that can remain with them for life.

To celebrate the children's achievements, we hosted our annual Swimming Gala, bringing participants together to showcase the progress they had made throughout the programme. The gala provided an opportunity for children to demonstrate their new swimming abilities, celebrate their personal milestones, and experience the excitement of taking part in an organised swimming event.

For some children, simply entering the water confidently represented a remarkable achievement. For others, swimming a distance independently or completing a race demonstrated just how far they had progressed in 12 weeks. Regardless of their individual ability, the gala was an opportunity to recognise every child's determination, courage, and development.

These moments are particularly meaningful because they represent more than sporting accomplishments. A child who once feared the water can now approach it with greater confidence and understanding. A young person who previously had no swimming experience has developed practical skills that could one day help protect their life.

Thanks to donor support, 143 children have had access to an opportunity that might otherwise have remained unavailable to them. Our annual Swimming Gala was not simply a celebration of sporting achievement. It was a celebration of confidence, courage, opportunity, and the development of potentially life-saving skills.

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Jun 23, 2026
Helping Young Athletes Feel Like They Belong

By Morgan Harlin | Chief Operating Officer

Through our All-Star programme in Zwide township, United Through Sport works with talented young athletes who show commitment, discipline, and real sporting potential. These children are selected not only because of their ability, but because they consistently show the attitude and character needed to represent their schools, their community, and themselves with pride.

Our All-Star teams regularly take part in sporting fixtures against other schools, including more resourced and prestigious schools across Nelson Mandela Bay. These fixtures are powerful opportunities. They give young people from Zwide the chance to test themselves, build confidence, develop teamwork, and experience what it means to compete in a positive, structured environment.

However, one of the challenges we have faced is that many of our players have had to compete in old, damaged, mismatched, or poor-quality kit. While this may seem like a small issue, it has a real impact. When children arrive at fixtures looking under-equipped, it can reinforce the same stereotypes of poverty that they are working so hard to rise above. It can make children feel different before the game has even started.

We believe our young people deserve better than that.

By providing proper sports kit to our All-Star team, donors have helped give these children more than just shirts and shorts. They have helped give them a sense of belonging, confidence, and pride. The new kit allows the team to arrive at fixtures looking organised, professional, and equal to the schools they are competing against. It sends a clear message to every child: you belong here, you deserve to be here, and your talent matters.

For many of the children, the impact was immediate. Sipho, one of our young players, said:

“The kit makes me feel like a superhero.”

Sport is not only about the result on the field. It is about identity, dignity, confidence, and opportunity. When a child feels proud to wear their team colours, they carry themselves differently. They play with more belief. They feel part of something bigger than themselves.

Thanks to donor support, our All-Star team can now step onto the field with pride, representing Zwide with confidence and showing that talent, determination, and potential are not defined by background.

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Feb 24, 2026
From Child Participant to Community Leader

By Morgan Harlin | Chief Operating Officer

Sinovuyo Stamper’s journey began not as a coach, but as a child growing up in Kwazakhele Township with limited access to structured sport and even fewer pathways into meaningful employment.

He was first introduced to United Through Sport as a young participant, attending sessions delivered in his local community. At that stage, he was one of many children benefiting from safe spaces, consistent mentorship, and access to sport that would otherwise have been unavailable. What distinguished Sinovuyo early on was not just his enthusiasm, but his willingness to learn, take responsibility, and commit to his own growth.

As he grew older, we continued to invest in his development, supporting his transition from participant to assistant, and eventually into a formal coaching role on our Keep Active programme. He began with no formal qualifications and experience limited to informal community sport, but with consistent support, structure, and opportunity, he was able to begin building a professional future.

Through United Through Sport, Sinovuyo has completed certified First Aid training, a SACE-accredited Physical Education qualification, formal cricket coaching certification, and is currently enrolled in the FIFA Auxiliary Programme in Sports Management at Nelson Mandela University. These are globally recognised qualifications that would otherwise remain inaccessible to most young people in his position. They represent not only personal achievement, but a transition into sustainable employment and long-term career progression.

As his confidence and competence grew, so did his impact. He established a football programme at Daniels Primary School, building teams from the ground up and leading them to a league final within a single season. He later recognised the absence of cricket opportunities across the Zwide Hub and independently revitalised a programme that now operates across multiple schools, creating entirely new pathways for local children.

Today, at 25 years old, Sinovuyo stands as a qualified professional and a respected leader within his community. He is no longer only a beneficiary of opportunity, but a provider of it, delivering the same support and structure to the next generation of young people growing up where he once stood.

Reflecting on his journey, he says: “They’ve helped me a lot. I don’t know where I would be without United Through Sport.”

Sinovuyo’s story reflects the full cycle of United Through Sport’s model. By identifying potential early and investing consistently over time, we are able to support children not only to participate, but to progress into qualified professionals, stable employment, and positions of leadership within their own communities.

With continued support, many more children like Sinovuyo can follow the same pathway, from participant, to professional, to leader.

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