In memory of Nelson Mandela

Prisoner Number:  46664

December 5, 2013 is a day we are going to remember forever; on that day, a great man passed away. For many people Nelson Mandela is the symbol of freedom and equality. He was a man, who was never afraid of fighting against apartheid (system of racial segregation) that had taken over in South Africa until the 1990’s. 

Born in 1918 Mandela received a Western-style education. After finishing secondary school, he continued his university studies in Law. He graduated in 1943 and a year later joined the African National Congress (ANC), which aimed to fight against the oppression lead by the Afrikaners. 

Mandela, often called Madiba, the name given to him by his clan, spent 27 years in prison for having raised his voice against the apartheid introduced by white people in the Republic of South Africa. 

After his release in 1990, Mandela was the main interlocutor of President De Klerk (National Party) in order to negotiate the democratization process. For their common efforts for peace, they shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. 

The first democratic elections in South Africa took place in 1994. After winning the elections, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa. His main objective was the national reconciliation. A key moment was his support towards the rugby team of Springboks, a historical symbol of the apartheid regime, in the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Having won the World Cup, Mandela’s dream came true: the people of South Africa, white and black, for the first time were proud to be South African. 

A lover of boxing, rugby, and football, Madiba understood the power of sport. He acknowledged that sport is a very useful tool that can be used in many areas of life.

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does." 

Mandela is an example for everybody. He taught the world that we must fight to reach our aims, that we should not give up, and any dream can come true. We should never forget his lesson!

A gift to Peruvian children

Last month, Bea Blanco delivered shirts and a number of footballs on behalf of Sport Network, to the NGO S.O.S. Peruanitos / Voluntariado en Perú. Bea is a friend of Sport Network and is currently volunteering with the Peruvian NGO. The shirts given to Sport Network by UEFA include a written message against racism.

The NGO S.O.S. Peruanitos is a nonprofit organization located in Peru, in the city of Trujillo. It develops its work in the Town center in the Nothern part of “El Porvenir” district. S.O.S. Peruanitos provide alternative education for children living in extreme poverty who cannot attend public institutions of education. That’s why they are implementing an educational project, which aims to support the inclusion of primary school children in the Peruvian formal educational system.

Based on Peru’s social reality and in particularly that of “Alto Trujillo’s” town centre and its numerous districts, there is a large number of children affected by economic poverty, problems of violence, moral neglect, emotional problems, and situations of social exclusion. S.O.S. Peruanitos consider education as a fundamental key for the country’s development as well as for its population, thus contributing to the fight against illiteracy and this way improving Peru’s educational system, reaching sectors of the population forgotten by the Government.

The NGO’s team is composed of national and international volunteers, which is enriching for the children, as it teaches values of cultural diversity and equality. Classes like reading, writing, math, English, art, personal hygiene, values and ethics are taught. The aim is to provide children with skills, education and self-esteem, focusing on the future integration of children in the formal education system. At present they are working with 30 children a year due to the limitation of their installations.

During the school year the social worker would go door to door, collecting information about families, a follow-up about the kids, focusing on helping children in the school, and promoting the family involvement in the educational process of the child. They would meet each week with pupils’ parents to advise, inform and support the kids study process, ensuring good communication between school and family in order to achieve the aims.

How was the presentation of the material?

Very touching, the children received the gift with great enthusiasm.

Many of them after receiving the T-shirts, immediately put them on and went home wearing them.

On behalf of S.O.S.Peruanitos, thanks a lot Sport Network!

For more photos visit our Facebook page!

Bea Blanco is a friend of Sport Network