Judo students from Inspire Children and Youth are not just rural farm children facing poverty. Some are national colours holders, Commonwealth champions and Olympians in the making! Most importantly, they being guided out of challenging circumstances, one move and act of kindness at a time:
Western Cape, South Africa (09 October 2023) — Breaking the cycle of tough circumstances sometimes starts with sparking a passion, and for students part of NPO Inspire Children and Youth’s programme, that light is judo.
Their JUDO Programme is about far more than competitions — though students have fared impressively on competitive floors— with an overarching goal to improve life skills like discipline and commitment. If other martial arts masters have shown us anything, these skills create mindsets that can pave the paths to hugely successful journies.
“JUDO is our secret weapon to help keep rural farm children and teenagers in school for as long as possible, improves their marks with an average of 20% – 30%, reduces teenage pregnancies which were from as young as 11 and 12 years and it prevents children from as young as 6 years old from actively participating in criminal activities,” shares Inspire Children and Youth.
These are the moves that break poverty cycles, along with feelings of accomplishment, the opportunity to shine and the sense of importance that comes about when enough people come together to see your dream through.
In recent times, Inspire Children and Youth (ICAY) has celebrated not only the existence of their programme (which is an achievement all its own) but its blossoming, and all those who have made the most rewarding moments possible.
For starters, they have added 6 more South African JUDO Schools Champions to their record books, which means a total of 10 SA JUDO Champions for 2023. This number is double compared to 2022!
Not to mention, they have produced South Africa’s first Commonwealth JUDO Champion and 2 students who now have the pride of holding national colours—possibilities that would’ve seemed so far out of reach for many rural farm children and communities if it weren’t for the programme and those who make it possible.
And those who make it possible are a force of good to be reckoned with—the unsung hands of kindness who have fundraised and sold handmade goods and even embarked on marathons to make sure the children can participate in what they’ve worked so hard for.
Martha Goodridge for one, was so inspired by the organisation after a summer trip to South Africa on a hockey tour that she emarked on a big random act of kindness—running the Henley Half Marathon in aid of ICAY. She has raised £1,022 (over R24 000) which she hopes will help build other facilities for the organisation and of course, contribute to Judo equipment.
“For the children Judo is more than a sport it is something which the children can hold onto when other things seem to be against them.”—Martha Goodridge.
Beyond judo, ICAY is building community futures through food gardens like Auntie Judith’s Food Garden, afterschool support programmes for the farm youth and a healthcare project amongst others.
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