Active Projects in South Africa
Concrete initiatives we are supporting right now. Each project lists what is needed, what stage it is in, and how companies and foundations can engage.
Artificial Turf Pitch
After every heavy rain, training stops for days. An artificial turf pitch would mean training continues – for over 200 children and youth.
The current natural grass pitch at Young Bafana floods after heavy rain. Training stops, children stay home, structure breaks down. We want to replace it with an artificial turf pitch that allows training year-round, regardless of weather.
What this enables: continuous training for 200+ children and youth. Reduced injury risk. A safe, structured environment that anchors the broader academy work.
Meals of Hope
You cannot train, learn or grow on an empty stomach. Meals of Hope ensures children get a nutritious meal on training days – the foundation everything else builds on.
Many children at Young Bafana come from households where food security is not guaranteed. Without nutrition, training is unsafe and learning is impossible. We provide one substantial meal per child on each training day, prepared in our own kitchen container by an experienced cook.
The kitchen container itself is part of the funding package – it makes Meals of Hope sustainable rather than dependent on external catering.
🔗 Connected project: The cook in Meals of Hope is simultaneously a trainer in the Mentoring & First Jobs programme.
Safe Transport for Girls
For girls in the township, the way to and from training can be the most dangerous part of the day. A dedicated team bus with a trusted driver changes that.
Public transport in townships is unreliable and unsafe – especially for girls returning from afternoon training. Drop-out rates among girls are significantly higher than among boys, and transport is often the deciding factor.
A dedicated YB minibus with a trained driver eliminates this barrier. Children get picked up and dropped off door to door. The bus and driver are bundled in this project. Infrastructure without people does not work – a vehicle without a trusted driver is not safe transport.
🔗 Connected project: The driver in Safe Transport is simultaneously a trainer in the Mentoring & First Jobs programme.
Mentoring & First Jobs
A vocational training programme that turns Young Bafana into an entry point for first paid employment. Experienced staff train young adults who grew up in YB. Successful trainees move into paid roles at YB itself.
“Those who grew up with Young Bafana can carry Young Bafana forward.”
Youth unemployment in South Africa exceeds 60%. For young adults from townships, the gap between school and the first paid job is the hardest to bridge. Most fall through it.
Mentoring & First Jobs is YB’s answer to this gap. The cook in Meals of Hope trains a young adult from the YB community in kitchen operations. The driver in Safe Transport trains another in vehicle operations and route safety. After a structured training period, trainees move into paid roles at YB.
This is what makes the model durable: infrastructure (kitchen, bus) creates jobs (cook, driver), and those jobs create training opportunities (mentoring), and those trainings create the next generation of staff. The project is structurally circular.
🔗 Connected project: Connected to Meals of Hope (cook) and Safe Transport (driver). These three projects form a sustainable, circular model.