Laptop donation delivered by Ajimba sustains 9Miles Project in Cape Town.
My heavy package traveled 13,000 km with me and has finally reached its destination. I'm excited to meet his recipients. Nikki, “Aunt Cal” and I are greeted by about 10 children in wet wetsuits with big smiles and cold but soft hands, fresh from the cold Atlantic. With a handshake and a clear and warm “Welcome, my name is...” they show us the 9-Miles-Project Clubhouse right on Strandfontein Beach.
The 9 Miles Project is a registered non-profit organization founded in Cape Town in 2013. The project works with young people from informal settlements on the coast and offers mentoring and support for vulnerable young people in addition to Cape Town, Elands Bay and St. Francis Bay. The project is a haven for young people who have very few positive role models in their lives.
I unpacked the two donated Labdoo computers out of my pocket, in the midst of the children's silent expectation. The 9-Miles Project offers homework and literacy programs after school, and the Labdoo laptops (now there are already 4) are used alongside the existing desktop devices in the computer lab in the clubhouse. The children learn how to use the Internet for tasks and projects, and the computers give them access to online learning and reading. They help bridge the huge digital divide that impoverished children experience every day in the informal settlements they come from.
The clubhouse also houses a soccer table and a ping pong table, a creative room where children craft and paint, and a music room with guitars and African drums to let off steam when the sea doesn't allow surfing. A small kitchen offers hot tea and daily meals, as surfing, swimming and water sports can make them very hungry. For many, it is sometimes their only meal of the day!
In addition to surfing and swimming lessons, 9-Miles offers complementary academic support, literacy programs, computer skills training, development and nutrition programs. The children provide a mentor and support that reinforces and reinforces the benefits of a positive and healthy lifestyle. So (almost) anything is possible regardless of your situation!
Motivated by his love for surfing and the central role that the discipline of this activity played in his life, Nigel Savel and his wife Sher'Neil started the project 6 years ago with the vision of improving their community plagued by crime and drugs. Nigel realized that the children growing up in the surrounding informal settlements were living with gangsters and drug dealers as role models and that there were very few organized activities or programs to motivate and shape young impressionable minds. Surfing was used as a catalyst to attract students to the project and teach them discipline, determination, and life skills.
The combination of surfing, “life skills education” and mentoring is a dynamic trio that creates sustainable character, increases self-esteem and develops a goal-oriented way of thinking.
The project, which runs with donations, is open 6 days a week and offers a safe and warm place to spend the afternoon. The next challenge for 9Miles Project is a fundraising campaign for a new minibus so that children and young people can be driven safely from home, on educational and fun trips to the clubhouse.
Ajimba African Tours works with organizations such as 9-Miles to offer guests a unique travel experience that allows visitors to understand the lives of locals and help them as they discover the amazing sights of southern Africa. Our tours are sustainable and support fair trade and a transparent partnership.
