Masupatsela

LITTLE CHAMPS
DIRECTED by Jacqueline van Meygaarden
EDITED by Jemima Spring and Bauke Brouwer
TX date: 2 August 2010

We love Masupatsela who work with children because this is simply the best investment in a country’s or a society’s future that one can make. It’s a cliché but it’s true. Little Champs was one of the first projects we came across as a potential story and remained a favourite throughout the selection process.

Not only does the Little Champs project show how a business can also be socially responsible and sustainable at the same time, it operates countrywide giving children skills that are not only invaluable for sports, but their development as a whole. Early childhood development is an area that is sorely neglected in South Africa, yet if one wants to make a difference, this is where you really get the biggest bang for your buck.

When radio personality Kevin Fine and his childhood friend Ashley Kotzin teamed up to create a business in the field of sports development, they looked for where there were gaps in the market and decided to focus on young children. They took a range of sports and broke them down into the basic components that are needed and then created a training programme for 2 to 6 years around these skills.  The development process was intensive: they consulted extensively with a range of experts and then literally experimented with groups of kids. The programme grew in popularity and along with some creative initiatives, put them on the map.

At first the programme was a commercial venture, coaching children from advantaged backgrounds. But Kevin and Ashley soon realised that children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds were getting left behind when it came to developing things like gross and fine motor skills. So they set about finding ways of getting Little Champs into those areas, starting with Alexander. A lot of money is raised from corporates for this, but at the same time they are constantly developing ways for the business to be self-sustainable and for the commercial side to feed the developmental side. The programme has since spread to every province in South Africa and been developed into a franchise model, both locally and internally.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, TO ASSIST OR GET INVOLVED:
Tel: 011 722 7372
Fax: 086 508 0235
Or write to: Little Champs Sports Academy
Post Net Suite 544
Private Bag X9
Benmore 2010

HERE’S HOW KEVIN USED HIS CELEBRITY STATUS TO REALISE THE LITTLE CHAMPS VISION:
-    he noticed that many children from disadvantaged backgrounds weren’t developing necessary motor skills
-    he decided to start a sports programme to address this
-    he teamed up with Ashley Kotzin
-    they investigated how to develop better facilities for kids in townships
-    they set up the Little Champs NGO
-    they developed a training programme together with child development and sports experts
-    people were trained to run the programme
-    the programme was assessed to make sure it works
-    they sourced sponsors and other funding
-    they set up Little Champs programmes all over the country

AUNTY M
DIRECTED by Ayanda Mncwabe
EDITED by Ruan Schwartz
TX date: 2 August 2010

We featured Magret Basson – or Aunty M as she is affectionately known – in series I of Masupatsela in the episode entitled Spreading the Message. At that time, she was using her role as a presenter on Riverside Radio, a community radio station in Upington, to spread the message about HIV and AIDS. When her family was affected directly by this, she became determined to make a difference to the lives of those affected by the disease. As many people in the community are illiterate radio is the perfect medium for her message.

Most important to her was the need to encourage family support and Aunty M didn’t just sit in her DJ booth, she went out in the community to speak to and spend time with people. The belief that if she makes a difference to one person’s life she makes a difference in her own life is the driving force behind her educational work.

Sadly Aunty M lost her own daughter after that programme went out, which we discovered when we called her to see if she knew any other masupatsela in her community for series II. Her story of how her daughter’s death had inspired her to start working primarily with children inspired us to revisit Aunty M and catch up on the changes in her life.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, TO ASSIST OR GET INVOLVED
Contact: 073 817 9700

AUNTY M BRINGS LOVE AND LIGHT INTO THE LIVES OF LITTLE ONES BY TAKING THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
-    she used her job as a radio presenter to spread important messages about HIV and AIDS
-    she started reaching out to people in person
-    she started a radio slot aimed at young children, with storytelling and games
-    she makes visits to schools
-    she approached sponsors for uniforms and equipment