Northern Irish Soccer & Hockey skills for Amy Beihl Kids

Northern Irish Soccer & Hockey skills training with children from the Amy Biehl Foundation sports programme

The Amy Biehl Foundation has welcomed volunteers from Northern Ireland annually since 2006. The Irish raise funds and donate sporting equipment to the Amy Biehl Foundation and spend a week each year coaching soccer and hockey and training students in first aid in the townships of Cape Town.   In 2008 the Irish sponsored the Amy Biehl Foundation to take a delegation of sixteen 14-year old black and coloured girls from the townships of Mannenberg and Guguletu to Northern Ireland for further training. It was a huge success and the girls had a once in a life time experience. The Foundation has since registered the Amy Biehl Hockey Club.

The Foundation’s PR Manager, Ilchen Retief, says that this is a very valuable partnership with Eric Jenkinson from Jenkinson Consulting and the Lurgan Ladies Hockey Team from Northern Ireland.  “The bonds and friendships which has been formed over the past few years and the skills improvement due to this partnership has been amazing and we invite anyone to come and visit us during the practise sessions”.  Training will take place at the following times and venues as listed below:

• Monday, 9 August , 09h00 – 13h00 at Langa Stadium
• Tuesday 10 August and Wednesday 11 August , 14h00 – 16h30 Old Mutual Facilities, Oude Molen
• Thursday 12 August  and Friday 13 August, 09h30 – 12h00 at Old Mutual Facilities, Oude Molen.

The Amy Biehl Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in 1997, providing programmes to develop and empower 5-18 year old youth in the impoverished and poverty-stricken townships, contribute to community building efforts and give children hope and a brighter future. This is achieved by providing educational and cultural activities that offer students healthy alternatives to all the negative influences of violence, gangs, crime, drugs, sex, and idleness and unlocks their creative talent with the aim of giving the youth opportunities to become future leaders, entrepreneurs and well rounded citizens in a global society.  The Foundation impacts on over 1 500 underprivileged youth living in the townships of Guguletu, Khayelitsha, Langa, Crossroads, Nyanga, Manenberg and Philippi, offering a wide range of programmes that caters to a broad spectre of needs within the community and provides a safe and creative environment for thousands of children in the afternoons.

Programmes include:

• After School Care
• Music - Violin, Guitar, Recorder, Marimba, Choral Singing and Brass
• Creative Arts - Art, Pottery, Beading, Drama and Dance - Kwaito, Modern, Traditional and Ballet
• Sport - Soccer, hockey, swimming, diving, Muay Thai, cricket, netball, volleyball and golf
• HIV/AIDS Prevention & Peer Education
• Greening and Environment
• Youth Reading Role Models Literacy
• Skills Development - Computer Literacy, Movie-making