Sports activities to equip youth
FOR the big-hearted members of Reservoir Hills Sports and Recreation Club (RHSRC) in north-west Durban, getting people involved in sports activities, especially the youth, is their way of promoting community development and creating much-needed “champions” and role models.
RHSRC chairman Chris Naidoo and his colleagues view champions as all those who stay away from drugs, petty crimes and other unsavoury activities during their years of schooling, and become responsible teenagers and adults.
Even better if these youngsters can go on to become sports stars or highly-skilled workers.
There are champions in the making in a host of no-charge activities being run by the club from their base at Siripat Road in Reservoir Hills, which includes sports coaching and the co-ordination of inter-school sports activities in the neighbourhood.
This area, according to Naidoo, features as many as 17 informal settlements in and around the large, formal suburb, from which males and females of all ages, including senior citizens, are catered for.
“We are confident that those who refrain from negative practices during their schooling careers will be able to keep away from those things later in life. And one of the best ways to ‘distract’ our youth is to get them involved in sport from an early age,” says Naidoo, whose outfit have been registered as a non-profit and public benefit organisation and have a website that showcases the good work done.
“Since not all want to play soccer or netball, our club intends catering for other codes, including baseball, boxing, gymnastics, table tennis, basketball, weight training and aerobics.”
As if those things weren’t enough, Naidoo says they are helping to raise funds for cancer-relief programmes aimed at underprivileged children, and will also be involved in the care of neglected animals in the community.
He recalls the organisation started as a senior citizens walking club in 2012, before members found the time and energy to do muchneeded work in the community. Their other achievements include obtaining of sponsorships to build computer rooms at two schools and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Joint Aid Management to feed 1 000 underprivileged children cereals every morning.
“The club is able to conduct its activities through donations from club officials and a few businesses and friends in our community,” explained Naidoo.
The committed members are also delighted to have concluded an arrangement with the Department of Parks and Gardens whereby they get allocated a sports field and ablution facilities in Reservoir Hills to continue running their programmes uninterrupted, with special emphasis on the youth.
However, “obtaining sports equipment is a challenge for us,” Naidoo said.