In response to an appeal from SOS Children’s Village South Africa for corporates to partner with them to brighten the lives of their children, the MTN SA Foundation answered the call with a sports tournament at the SOS Childrens Village in Ennerdale, Gauteng.
SOS Children‘s Village South Africa describes itself as a place that orphaned or abandoned children can call home. Operating in eight provinces with 11 programme locations, at the villages, children live as part of their own culture and religion, in a place where their needs for food, health, shelter, and education are met.
Joining MTN in making the day a special one for the village’s 75 children was One Touch Coaching, a dedicated sports agency specialising in the development of recreational sports within communities.
The organisation provides soccer programs, private coaching, special needs programs, and creates employment opportunities for youth in the coaching industry. In addition to all the sports events held throughout the day, which took place on 29 July, junior and senior soccer and netball, MTN also evaluated some of the ongoing needs of the home and donated 13 computers and set them up on the day and donated sporting equipment to the village.
“SOS Children’s Villages extends an opportunity to children who have experienced solitude, providing them a haven where they can rediscover the joys of childhood: engaging in play, laughter, learning, forging friendships, and embracing all the activities befitting their age,” said Arthur Mukhuvha, GM of the MTN SA Foundation.
“Acknowledging its significant role within the communities it serves, MTN understands the vital responsibility it bears in tackling the most urgent social challenges confronting South Africa.
As Tata Mandela said, ‘Our children are our future and one of the basic responsibilities is to care for them in the best and most compassionate manner possible,’ and as the MTN Foundation we were honoured to work with the SOS Children’s Village in Ennerdale as they answer this responsibility – day in, day out – placed on all South Africans by Madiba,” Mukhuvha concludes.
