Lavender Hill residents had a fun sports day yesterday, playing soccer and netball in a bid to return normalcy to their lives.
The day was organised by community activist Ralph Bouwers, who hosted the family fun day in Grassy Park.
ORGANISER: Ralph Bouwers, community activist. Photo: Supplied
Ralph, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Guardians of the National Treasure, a non-profit organisation, hosted over 1 000 people at the South Peninsula Sports Grounds.
People played five-a-side netball and soccer matches, while there were food stalls available and people also jolled to lekke music.
The event was free for all and Ralph says the aim was to show the youth, who are used to gang violence and drugs, “the other side of life”.
“We did this event to take the youth off the street. Our children are traumatised by all the gang violence in the area and we are privileged we had so many people on board to sponsor the event,” Ralph explains.
He says a Muslim catering company offered their services for free.
“The caterers catered for
2 000 meals, cool drinks and fruit which is amazing.
“Meals were given and the left overs will be donated to the informal settlements in our area,” Ralph says.
The younger children who did not participate in the sporting activities painted messages of hope on posters.
Some of the messages read: “Please stop the gang violence. You need us for the future,” “Women are a gift from God” and “We are the future”.