Mpilonhle has lead the way in a project that will see the children of Khula Village in the Umkhanyakude District enjoy the many benefits of having a proper soccer field for the first time. Silethukukhanya High School was one of the four schools that Mpilonhle started working with and, like many rural schools, has for many years faced the challenges of a lack of facilities, an impoverished local Khula-Nomathiya community and the spectre of high levels of HIV/AIDS. With 1100 learners and no access to recreational facilities to speak of, parents and teachers in the community have long been worried that learners would get up to mischief, making the motivation to find a solution for the school that much greater. Steeping up to the plate, Mpilonhle, with financial assistance from Woolworths and Architects for Humanity, as well as its major backers the Oprah’s Angel Network, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, and PEPFAR, has driven the soccer field project to provide the school with proper facilities. With the school being in a rural area and there being no secure water supply, the project has faced numerous challenges, all of which, through the dedication of the team, have been overcome. Water is now provided by the borehole that has been drilled, and beyond the watering of the field, this supplies the school toilets, the science laboratory, the home economics classroom and the indigenous nursery the school has established.
With no other proper soccer field for 40km, this project has benefited both learners and the surrounding community, creating jobs and providing a healthy outlet for sporting activities and creating closer bonds between the school and community.
