UK Rugby and Cultural Exchange Tour

For 14 children and two coaches from our after school program growth points the opportunity of a life time recently arose. After recent publicity has elevated Umzingisi Foundations status (including the Global Giving Campaign), a School and Rugby Club from the UK heard about our programs and made it their mission to make a difference! The people of Saffron Walden, raised an amazing R250,000 to be able to fund a week long rugby trip and cultural exchange for the group of 12 and 13 year old boys from within the township communities that we are working in. Two of the 14 boys are directly supported through Global Giving donations.The trip was a huge eye opener for the boys and a once in a life time opportunity. During the week they stayed with host familys from the school and participated in school lessons and got to experience quality facilities that they would never have used before like Astroturf, musical instruments and even a dance studio. The boys also visited London for the day and saw all the main attractions like Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.

The team then participated in a local rugby tournament on the Friday, which they won with ease, beating all of the local opposition each by 40 points or more and lifted the Saffron Walden under 13 Rugby Trophy. They rounded off the tour with a trip to Twickenham to watch the Premiership final between London Irish and Leicester amongst an 81,000 capacity crowd.

The main aim of the tour was to give the boys an opportunity they would never normally receive with the aim of broadening their horizons and encouraging them to strive to achieve more than they would have previously perceived possible.

“The boys were so excited to be travelling to the UK that they had already been working over time on their rugby, their language skills and their geography and to me this is one of the keys to this kind of experience; they are already trying to improve themselves and broaden their horizons in preparation, imagine what can happen after they have experienced it!”
Nick Mould, Director, Umzingisi Foundation

"I'll never forget this experience we saw so much, it was like another planet and we saw new and exciting things everyday. I definitely want to go back."
Athenkosi Mayinje, Player, Umzingisi Foundation