Sport brings people together

SODA hosted a soccer ­tournament in Windhoek's Mix informal settlement that brought the community ­together.
Brian Munango
A fun and exciting weekend it was in Mix informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek as the School of Destiny Associates (SODA) hosted a youth talk show (YTS) and a soccer tournament for the youth.

Mix is situated 20 kilometres outside of Windhoek and the turnout at the event was incredible. The values discussed by the panellists at the talk show were choices and responsibilities. “These are one of the core values that determine the direction we choose to go in life,” SODA member Uiras Ngodi said.

The YTS is part of the ‘We Care’ initiative which aims to provide practical tools of self-awareness, self-discipline and self-leadership to help out-of-school youth to develop strong characters to navigate their own lives and make appropriate choices. It also serves as a mentorship session for the youth.

Meanwhile, the soccer tournament gave the teams a chance to win prizes, and soccer lovers enjoyed the competition. Four teams competed against each other and the winning team received N$1 000, while second place received N$700 and third place N$500.

We Care has launched a few projects such as the Drop-a-Pad campaign, a charity drive, a 4x4 initiative, a school talk show (STS) and the YTS.

The STS and YTS are the same concept, except the slight difference of the target audience. The STS, which was first launched on 11 October 2021, focuses on school-going youth, while the YTS and soccer tournaments are inclusive of the youth, both school-going and out-of-school.

“This is something we need to have here more frequently, because it raises everyone’s spirit and brings people together,” Mix resident Johannes Iyambo said.