PeacePlayers South Africa Storybook FINAL - Flipbook - Page 121
PeacePlayers. Nondu Xaba and Siphesihle Sibaya (Sphe) were selected as PP-SA LDP participants
in August 2019 at the Friendship Games at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College,
for the exceptional leadership skills and growth displayed in the programme. They both have
recently matriculated from LIV with high marks. Menzi is proud of all these girls. He says their
“maturity, mentality and social confidence has skyrocketed.”
Nondu is now in her first year at Free State University. There she plays Varsity basketball
and studies social science, majoring in psychology. When she reflects on her PeacePlayers
experience, she is thankful that she was “able to meet new children and make friends from
different backgrounds and racial groups. I learned that it's not only about being good and able to
play sports, but it's also about sportsmanship and hard work [off the court]." She adds that one of
her favourite things about the group was “seeing a collective team wanting to bring change in
their community together as a family.”
Sphe is interning with an organisation's photography & film department. When Sphe reflects on
her PeacePlayers journey, she says, "PP-SA didn’t just teach me basketball skills, but also how to
make good life choices and decisions." Like Nondu, Sphe also originally believed that being a part
of PP-SA was only about having good basketball skills, only to find out it was much more.
For all four girls mentioned - Fathima, Nonhle, Nondu, and Sphe - PeacePlayers has enhanced
their LIV experience. Menzi acknowledges that LIV is generally a closed-quarters campus,
and it's rare that the kids engage with other kids outside of the grounds. But when they do, it
should be a fruitful experience. “If they aren't mature socially, it impacts their self-esteem and
confidence.” says Menzi. These young women are now equipped with the necessary skills to
thrive in the world.
The organic relationship will continue to flourish with great mentors like Menzi in the driver's
seat, simply because, as Menzi puts it, "both organisations and representatives refuse to stop
finding ways to engage with participants consistently." Working in tandem, PeacePlayers and
LIV Village will continue being a bright light in participants' lives.
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