Alex children enjoy Afrika Tikkun Sports and Cultural Day

More than 1 500 children from townships around Johannesburg, including Alexandra, gathered at the Wanderers Stadium, along with their parents and corporate supporters, for the ninth annual Afrika Tikkun Sports and Cultural Day.

The event, which was part of Tikkun’s Mandela Day initiative, was the highlight of the year for many of the organisation’s children and youth as sport plays a vital role in their programmes and helps their children find and develop their skills and talents.

The sports day also affords them the opportunity to showcase what they have learned through the sports development programme in the past year, as well as getting to meet and play with children from the organisation’s various centres around Johannesburg.

“We were incredibly privileged to have had tata Madiba as our Patron in Chief for nearly two decades,” said Marc Lubner, CEO of Afrika Tikkun.

“His heart was for children – particularly children with disadvantaged backgrounds and so it is fitting to have our sports and cultural day in his honour.”

Afrika Tikkun is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the eradication of poverty by caring for vulnerable children in townships through their cradle-to-career approach.

The day began with a colourful opening ceremony led by the Afrika Tikkun drummers, with children from various centres such as Alexandra, BraamPark, Diepsloot and Orange Farm entering the stadium amid much fanfare.

The aim of the event is not only to bless the kids with a day of fun activities and good food, but also to teach them the value of sportsmanship and teamwork. At the end of the day, sponsored awards were given which recognised both athletic prowess and good sporting character.

The sporting games included mini-Olympics events such as sack races and three-legged races for the younger children (from three to six years old), while the older children participated in soccer games, volleyball and netball. The cultural show was a huge hit which included singing, poetry, drumming and an art display.

Details: www.afrikatikkun.org; e-mail info@afrikatikkun.org