KFC Mini-Cricket celebrates National Children’s Day by encouraging active play

National Children’s Day was recently celebrated as part of the KFC Mini-Cricket campaign, with the emphasis being on development among disadvantaged youth.

The occasion is observed on the first Saturday of November each year to highlight the progress being made towards the realisation and promotion of rights of children in South Africa.

To commemorate the occasion this year, KFC sought to shed light on the hindrances that get in the way of children engaging in sports and living active lifestyles.

“It is important to reflect on the state of how children are treated in society and the kind of impact it has on their future as upstanding members of society,” said Thabisa Mkhwanazi, public affairs director at KFC.

“Our focus is providing children with a conducive environment to play their way. As we celebrate National Children’s Day, we want to reinforce the need for children to be loved, nurtured and cared for, as well as the importance of creating an environment that encourages individual and communal growth and an active lifestyle.

“We hope our communities will pledge their support to keep our children safe and protected in the spaces that allow them to be children.”

Since inception, the programme has seen 2.5 million children participating in the KFC Mini-Cricket programme.

Mkhwanazi said it continues to be a driving force for strong national teams. She added that educators stand to benefit greatly from the school-wide initiative.

“Through the programme, KFC has managed to offer children the critical building blocks to learn cricketing basics and entrenching important life lessons,” she said.

“The programme allows teachers at schools to offer a cricket sporting programme, even with basic fields and facilities. This is to make sure children are playing their way, getting active and that the educational lessons of commitment to participation are learnt and adopted way beyond just the game.”