Sunday was a wonderful day, I spent the day at the football field watching my boys play the finals for this season. The football field is a very basic place, the field is actually just a dirt patch with a handmade goal area on each end. It is really wonderful how creative the people are here, they turned a bare piece of land into a plot where people can laugh and play and forget about the daily struggles.
When I arrived at the field the boys faces lite up which makes me feel really nice because these are not little boys, these are respected young men from my community. To be respected by them makes me realize that I am a trusted member of the community. There they were, all dressed up and looking wonderful in their uniforms, uniforms if you may recall that were donated by The Themba Development Project. These funds fame from regular people in my community who wanted to give these young men an opportunity to play football.
The sun was very hot on Sunday but the boys didn't seem to mind, they were so happy to play. I realized before the game that many of them hadn't eaten that day so we ran to the store and bought bread, bananas and cool drink (pop). The sides of the field were lined with people from the community, all excitedly cheering on their favorite teams. It was so much fun, everyone was yelling and laughing, all in Xhosa, and I spent the day taking photos and trying to decipher what people were saying.
The guys did so well, they played two games, the first they lost by one point, the second game they won! We all walked home together, clear across Thembalethu, everyone was so happy and our laughter continued into the night.
Thank you again to everyone who generously donated funds so that we could purchase the uniforms, it has made a world of difference to these boys who not only get to play football, but also receive mentorship from the older young men in the community.
Catherine Robar
Founding Director
The Themba Development Project
www.thembaproject.org
http://thembaproject.blogspot.com/
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