Convergence Partners staff visit Siyabuswa Youthzone
Convergence Partners staff visit Siyabuswa Youthzone
Convergence Partners, a strategic partner of the Foundation for a Safe South Africa (FSSA) and its innovative Youthzone projects, visited the project site in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga. FSSA endeavours to prevent crime in South Africa through substantive investment in the social fabric of our society by promoting tolerance and mutual respect. They do this by creating a sustainable cross-cultural network that enables communities to help one another in building safe and empowering societies.
On Friday, 13th May 2011, the Convergence staff met with members of the Siyabuswa community, in particular the soccer players and netballers as well as executives from FSSA to handover a donation of footballs and netballs equipment for the local teams.
FSSA representatives, Doctor Mabila and Schalk van Heerden, the force behind the Youthzones project, gave a short overview of the centre and its activities and welcomed the Convergence Team, who had made the journey from Johannesburg.
After the introductions by all, it was time for the football match: Siyabuswa Youth against Convergence Grand Masters! Fortunately, the teams we mixed to avoid the game being one way traffic… Despite an obvious gulf in quality between locals and visitors, everyone really enjoyed themselves.
Convergence staff members were humbled by the warm welcome and hospitality offered by the local community. This represents the start of a relationship with the community of Siyabuswa that Convergence hopes to nurture and grow.
Doctor then took Convergence Team on a sight seeing trip around the village, which included a visit to their local community gym, which was being run with homemade equipment.