In 2008, through a tremendous fundraising effort 16 young girls from the Lurgan Ladies Hockey Club in Northern Ireland, raised enough money to travel to South Africa for the hockey skills academy and to work with a select group of girls from our programme. Furthermore, 16 girls from our programme were given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Northern Ireland for more training, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Lurgan Ladies Junior Hockey Club and Jenkinson Consulting.

Eric says:  “It never ceases to amaze me how good people are when I think of all the great people who have helped me on the programmes.  The programmes has been like dropping a pebble in the water... ever increasing circles as each year more and more people want to help.”

The Amy Biehl Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town whose programmes are designed to develop and empower 5-18 year old youth in the townships and contribute to community building efforts as a mechanism to reduce the levels of crime, gangs, drug abuse, HIV Aids and violence in these areas and to give these children a brighter future. This is achieved by providing educational and cultural activities that offer students healthy alternatives to crime, drugs, sex, idleness and negative influences and unlocks their creative talent with the aim of giving them opportunities to become future leaders, entrepreneurs and well rounded citizens in a global society. Our programmes currently reach over 1 600 children every week, and include:

• After School Care
• Music including Violin, Guitar, Recorder, Marimba, Choral Singing and Brass
• HIV/AIDS Peer Education & Prevention 
• Creative Arts including Painting, Beading, Drama and Dance - Kwaito, Modern, Contemporary, Traditional and Ballet
• Greening and Environment  
• Youth Reading Role Model Literacy
• Computer literacy
• Filming
• Sport including soccer, hockey, swimming, diving, netball, kickboxing, cricket and the only Golf Driving Range in a township

These programmes place a focus on the creative side of the children’s brains, and supplement the shortcomings of the educational systems.  There are great inadequacies in the impoverished township schools in which we work, creating a dire need for our programmes.  During the course of the school day many students are not given the opportunity to tap into the creative side of their brain.  Through our programmes we allow children to supplement what they learn during the course of the school day with creative programmes that let them express themselves and think freely in an imaginative environment. Providing these students with meaningful opportunities.

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