Community comes together to support young athlete’s flying kicks

Tribe Martial Arts Foundation, a Sunninghill-based non-profit dedicated to empowering youth and women through martial arts, recently held a small, community-driven fundraiser that made a big impact.

According to Suzanne Fernandes, the operations manager of the organisation, it is all thanks to the support of Run/Walk for Life Sunninghill, QuanWessels Martial Arts Academy, and members of the community. “We were inspired to host the fundraiser to support one of our own, John ‘Jono’ Meso, a young athlete in our programme who qualified for the Kyokushin Karate Junior National Championships. It was such a proud moment for us, and we wanted to give him the best chance to get there and represent our community. We set a target of R10 000, and we’re really happy to say we hit that target. The support from our community was great.”

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Fernandes said the money raised is going towards Meso’s entry fees, transport, accommodation, food, and gear for the national competition. “Anything extra is helping us keep our regular programme going for ten kids and four moms who currently train with us. It’s really about making sure they can continue learning, growing, and showing up for something positive; without worrying about how they’ll get there or what they need.”

Tribe Martial Arts Foundation was established in 2019, as a response to the growing need for accessible self-defence training and personal empowerment in underserved communities, especially those affected by gender-based violence (GBV), living in high risk communities.

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The foundation uses Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA), not just to teach self-defence, but to help beneficiaries grow in confidence, discipline, and emotional strength. “Our beneficiaries come from tough backgrounds, and martial arts gives them something powerful, a community to belong to. A place where they’re seen, supported, and encouraged to lead.”

Fernandes said Meso, his mom, and his sister joined their martial arts community back in 2019, when they launched their first self-defence programme. “They’ve stuck with us ever since and have become a really special part of the Tribe family.

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Jono, now a teenager, has worked hard and has taken part in several external BJJ competitions, on top of his training with us and our amazing partners at QuanWessels Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

Qualifying for the Kyokushin Karate Junior National Championships, which be held next week in KwaZulu-Natal, is a big achievement, and it means the world to him. It hasn’t just been about competing for him; it’s about proving to himself what he’s capable of, and showing other young people that they can achieve big things too.”

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