If there is one lasting memory of this year’s Rugby World Cup, it is how sport really can bring joy to people after they have suffered terrible pain.
This was the case for an entire nation following the All Blacks’ victory over France at the World Cup Final, but it is also the case for a remarkably talented young rugby coach from Soweto in South Africa.
The name of this young coach is Bongiwe Nhleko, or ‘Bongi’ to her friends.
Bongi (top row, centre)
For Bongi, following a difficult childhood that included both hardship and tragedy, rugby has offered her chances in life she might never have imagined possible. Read more
“There is no other context quite like this one; it’s hard to understand without living it.”
These are the words of Karen Doubilet as she told the Laureus blog about the remarkable PeacePlayers International project in the Middle East (PPI-ME). Read more
The sight of a group of kids enjoying some food in the sun, listening to music and playing a bit of basketball isn’t such an unusual sight.
But when you realise that the group consists of 100 kids from both Greek-Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, playing together in the Cypriot Buffer Zone between the North and South of the island, you know you are witnessing something truly special.
This all took place at last weekend’s Peace Day Basketball Tournament organised by the fantastic Laureus-supported community sports project PeacePlayers International – Cyprus.
Kids from both Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus played together in mixed teams
For young Brazilian boxer Roberto Custodio, reaching next year’s London Olympics will not just be the pinnacle of his career so far, but a remarkable victory over adversity in itself. A victory that was inspired by the power of boxing as a way to deal with the hardships of his childhood on the streets where he watched his father tragically murdered.
Roberto Custodio
Laureus has been speaking to Roberto, who is a former participant at the Laureus-supported Fight for Peace project in Brazil.
When did you first start going to Fight for Peace? What were the sessions like for you? How did you do when you first began?
I started attending boxing classes when 14 to 15 years old when the Fight for Peace Academy was in another community of Maré, the Union Park Community.
I was attracted to Fight for Peace because of the boxing classes after watching the older guys in the ring.
As a boy, what was a typical day like for you?
When I was younger, I was always a calm boy that loved to play. I practised capoeira when I was 10 years old.
I liked to fly kites, play soccer but also loved to go out to ‘funk’ parties – although my Mom did not actually ‘allow’ me to do so. I used to have to sneek out during the night to go to such parties, but whenever I arrived back, she was always waiting for me with a belt in her hands… and so you know what happened….(he laughs).
What was the worst example of gang violence that you saw?
The question shouldn’t be the worst example of violence I saw, but the one I still see everyday…
Today I see big social inequality, lack of opportunities – especially to the slum dwellers. I see prejudice, lack of the right of freedom for each person. But even my rights, which through the years I have come to learn, also show my duties for the society.
Thanks to Fight for Peace, people are taught and shown that we all have rights and duties, and that we can and should fight for them.
"Many of the boys who came to train with me see my life story as an example... I tell them they should believe in their potential and in themselves."
What were the circumstances of your father’s death? How did this affect you and your interest in boxing?
Losing my father, the way he was taken out of the world, is very sad and cruel.
Never in my life did I think I could lose him this way.
He was a dedicated worker without any addictions or involvement with anything. On the contrary, he wouldn’t like mixing up with such things and would be very upset with all that [i.e. illegality, drugs] happening in our community.
But… life is like a box of surprises… Things that we could never even imagine, happen in the very place that we live.
When my dad was killed, I had just started my boxing training . It was very difficult for me. I became unmotivated to train, to study or do other things. I could only think about leaving Maré, but due to our financial conditions, we could just not go anywhere else. Today I still try to look for places to live with less violence, but it is pretty hard as there are many places suffering from violence.
I then slowly started moving on with my life. I would go to school, to the Fight for Peace Academy to train. But I did not want to hang around the streets anymore and this was why I started to dedicate more and more time to my boxing training, so I could try to forget about all the suffering and anger.
Rio De Janeiro's favelas, much like the one where Roberto grew up
What do you try to teach youngsters on the streets and how do you encourage them that there can be a better life for them?
Over time, through my dedication to boxing and the fact I’m involved for all those years with Fight for Peace, I was offered to work as an assistant of boxing coach, so I could pass on my knowledge to other boys that came to train in the Academy with me.
Today I’m in the Brazilian Boxing Team and I see that many of the boys who came to train with me see my life story as an example and what I tell them is that they should believe in their potential and in themselves, it only depends on their willpower and inner strengh.
It is not easy, but they have to try and persist to achieve their goals. And above of all, have faith!
How often are you in Rio with Fight for peace?
Whenever I’m not training with the Brazilian Boxing Team.
What are hopes for London 2012?
London 2012 is a goal that I keep thinking and believing I can get. Until I get the final results of the classified names, I keep believing I can be one of them. It is hard, I know, but one thing I’m sure of is that I pursued, I believed and I did my best. Regardless of what happens.
What are your ambitions for after you stop boxing?
For after boxing, I want to graduate in physical education, sports management or physical therapy. And, also, to be able to help in the same way I was helped, helping my community and the young people who live there.
How much do you owe to Laureus and Fight for Peace for where you are today?
It’s priceless! Laureus was one of the earliest supporters of the Fight for Peace Academy, and always believed in the work that was being done, they always believed in the potential of the young people and were always willing to support, even up to today.
I am eternally grateful to all this support and also to Luke Dowdney, who has chosen the community where I live to develop this beautiful work that has changed my life through the Academy.
The Fight for Peace Academy… forever!!!
Laureus will be following Roberto in his pursuit of a place in the Brazilian Team for the London Games. So be sure to follow on Twitter @LaureusSport for any new updates on Roberto.
12 girls and 2 coaches from the slums of Mumbai, India, returned home after spending two highly successful weeks at a football training camp in Moraga, California recently.
This trip was part of an exchange programme between the Laureus-supported Magic Bus project and the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy, the football training camp founded by the former US national team captain.
The Magic Bus girls prepared to play football with their US peers
To the Mumbai girls, this trip was much more than just mastering football drills. Coming from a country where girls playing football is not widely accepted, the girls learned lessons of leadership and self-confidence through the football exercises and in mixing with the 100 American girls, who also participated in the camp.
The Magic Bus women's football team at the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy
Tutor Mira Ahmad was the one who witnessed the progress of the Indian girls after only five days at the Academy when the Magic Bus girls all ran around talking and chilling out with their new Californian friends and having the time of their life.
Mira remembered how shy these Magic Bus girls had been on the first day and how hard it was to push them to speak their limited English with their US peers. However, after doing team building and leadership activities via playing great soccer, “they were not afraid of the mistakes they were making. They are babbling away in Hinglish (Hindi/English) and making friends,” said Mira.
What better results can we ask for? We are proud of these kids who are riding the Magic Bus. As Mira said: “For those of us who have tried and tried again with little success, we know that making a mistake and taking that first step is the best way to get the ball rolling.”
