A sport app to promote social inclusion

It is estimated that 40% of children are victims of violence every year in South Africa. Research has shown that many unhealthy behaviors are closely related to having grown up in a home with difficult living   conditions. The rates for smoking, drug use, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, alcoholism, and high-risk sexual behaviors are higher among individuals who have been victims of abuse during childhood or have grown up in dysfunctional homes. In addition, local services are highly inadequate in the country, which leaves people in need, including children, who have to cope with their difficulties alone. 

The Isiqalo Foundation is a South African NGO that develops its activities under the label Waves for Change (W4C). The mission of W4C is to provide mental health services geared to vulnerable young people and people with disabilities in unstable communities, in particular through surfing.

 

To increase the number of beneficiaries and facilitate the implementation of sports programs in remote areas, W4C uses a mobile application called “Coach Assist”, which uses geotagging to monitor the activity of qualified independent coaches and pay them directly based on the number of participants. This innovative model allows for a more agile deployment, open to other sports and other countries.

AFD’s grant has contributed to financing pilot testing, which has enabled W4C to validate the relevance of this new program (proof of concept). A team of researchers from the University of Cape Town was responsible for the evaluation, using an impact measurement methodology and a rigorous and documented monitoring.

 

• 1,000 child beneficiaries
• 30 sports coaches recruited
• Improvement in physical health, self-confidence and the sense of social inclusiveness for the participants
• Experience, additional income and self-esteem for the independent coaches 
• Improvement in social cohesion within the community