Tag Archives: Sasol

by | December 18, 2012 · 5:18 pm

Top Moments of PPI-SA 2012

Participants in their Sasol gear at the City Wide Tournament

Participants in their Sasol gear at the City Wide Tournament

PPI-SA was able to host many events this year, and we would like to take an opportunity to highlight the best of the year 2012.  PPI-SA can sometimes face unconventional and unique circumstances that can make even a simple basketball game a challenge. The staff at PPI-SA work extremely hard and often have to overcome many obstacles in order to make our program successful. This is a tribute to the staff and participants of PPI-SA who came together to overcome adversity to make sure our program continued to thrive.

City-Wide Tournament 2012

This was our biggest and most exciting event of the year. Girls and boys teams from our primary school program came together at Hoy Park in Durban for the  22nd semi-annual CWT. We hosted over 800 participants at the venue! Sasol was a huge sponsor for us and donated hats, t shirts, and water bottles to every participant. The Brooklyn Nets, a United States professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association, was recognized at the tournament for their investment in PeacePlayers. Highlights included over 30 LDP participants who were selected as our best leaders from the LDP program to help run and coach the tournament, VCT (voluntary counseling and testing for HIV) provided by Zoe life, Adidas kit given to most outstanding participants, and the PPI-SA song “I’m a PeacePlayer” wrap performed by Thobani Khumalo. Thobani’s original song resonated with so many of our participant’s; you couldn’t go to a school without hearing the song being sung by someone!

LDP Olympics

LDP Olympics in Umbumbulu!

LDP Olympics in Umbumbulu!

The LDP Olympics was a creative idea to change up our LDP events.  We put participants through a variety of individual skills tests and added up total scores to find a winner. There were 10 events total, and we ran LDP Olympics in each of our areas. PPI-SA was able to give out some nice prizes and we made a lot of our participants smile. It was some of the most fun we had all year. The participants in Umbumbulu went through these events with so much passion and energy; it was a really special day for all of them. Thanks to Kyler McClary for his creativity in planning these events.

LDP Extravaganza

This year we made an effort to innovate and refine our LDP events. Our LDP extravaganza in Umlazi was a great example of this. Girls and boys teams came together from 4 areas to play shorter, more intense games. We had the tournament be a more round robin style, so each team was exposed to all the other areas, rather than just one other team. This maximized our goal of bridging divides among these communities with players getting the opportunity to play teams from every area multiple times. We also held a skills session where we mixed the teams together to work on basketball fundamentals. We ended the day with new and unique life skills activities from Bridges of Hope, where participants were asked to really think truly about what they want in the future, and how important it is to have a vision in life.

Bridges of Hope Training

We were very lucky to have the opportunity to be trained in an award winning and innovative Curriculum called Bridges of Hope. Christy Joy Webster, master trainer and facilitator, trained the entire PPI-SA staff and coaches in this curriculum that focuses less on the basic information of HIV/AIDS and more on how important it is to value yourself. If you value yourself and realize how important your future is, you will be more likely to make healthy decisions. PPI-SA has been looking to refine our life skills curriculum in past years, and these activities can be truly life changing. We are so grateful to Christy joy Webster for being a passionate, caring, and amazing facilitator!

PPI-SA staff after completing the Bridges of Hope Training

PPI-SA staff after completing the Bridges of Hope Training

A genuine thank you goes out to all PPI-SA staff and participants that made these events possible. We hope for even more fun and exciting events in 2013!

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by | August 28, 2012 · 3:09 pm

PPI-SA Racks Up Awards at Sasol Techno X 2012

PPI-SA saw 20 learners pass through their stations every 20 minutes during the 5-day Sasol Techno X exhibition.

During the week of the 13th – 17thAugust 2012, members of PPI-SA were invited to exhibit the PPI-SA brand at the Sasol Techno X exhibition in Sasolburg. Sasol, an innovative South African energy giant, hosts Sasol Techno X each year as an exhibition that focuses on displays, workshops, tours, talks and hands-on activities aimed at enthusing learners, students, and the general public about the endless possibilities of science and technology. The event seeks to expose, at a practical level, the many facets of technology and encourage learners to explore the wide range of exciting disciplines and career choices that science, math and technology offer. At the 2012 event, approximately 23,000 learners passed through the exhibition over a 5-day span.

Being the first time the organization has been asked to exhibit our brand at such a high-profile event, the acceptance was met with a mix of excitement and nervousness as preparations began. However, by the time all of the planning and hard work was put into action at the exhibition, it was clear that PPI-SA had hit a home run.

PPI-SA exhibited our brand by having both a basketball and a life skills stand situated right next to each other. During the sessions,

PPI-SA coaches Thobekile Mjwara and Sifiso Cebisa boarded an airplane for the first time on their way to the exhibition in Sasolburg.

approximately 20 young adults passed through every 20 minutes and, in true PPI style, our crew brought the energy and the noise.

The life skills station in particular was easily one of the most exciting stations at the exhibition. At the conclusion of the 5-day exhibition, PPI-SA earned several awards from Sasol Community Affairs, including Best Sasol Exhibition, Best Sasol Exhibition Enthusiasm, and Best Sasol Exhibition Interactivity. I think it is safe to say that Sasol was very impressed by what PPI-SA had to offer.

On behalf of the thousands of children’s whose lives PPI-SA has been able to impact through Sasol’s contributions and opportunities, we would like to say “Thank You”.

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by | May 29, 2012 · 2:37 pm

PPI – South Africa Hosts 22nd Semi-Annual City-Wide Tournament

Participants come together at the City-Wide Tournament in their new SASOL t-shirts and hats!

On Saturday, May 26th, PeacePlayers International – South Africa (PPI-SA)  hosted its 22nd semi-annual City-Wide Tournament for over 800 participants from the primary school program! This year, The Brooklyn Nets, a United States based professional basketball club in the National Basketball Association, was recognized at the tournament for their investment in PeacePlayers.

PPI-SA runs year-round programs for 35 primary schools targeting grade 6 and 7 learners from racially and culturally divided communities in and around Durban. At the end of each semester, PPI-SA hosts a basketball extravaganza where all of these participants come together to learn and have fun in a safe environment.

Most Valuable Players were selected and were rewarded with a brand new adidas kit.

A key focus of the first of two City-Wide Tournaments of the year is that players are regrouped to form new teams consisting of players from different schools and communities. This process allows for the integration between players from different communities and schools, facilitating the most important goal of PPI, promoting peace among different groups and creating friendships.

It was a beautiful day for the tournament, and the excitement mounted as taxis arrived full of energetic, anxious participants.  As soon as they arrived, each participant was greeted with a gift pack consisting of a t-shirt, cap, water bottle and straw kindly donated by SASOL, a South African-based fuel company.  After receiving their gifts, participants were entertained by Thobani Khumalo, PPI-SA life skills coordinator, through his rhyming beats and educational song “I’m a PeacePlayer.”

“We want to thank the Brooklyn Nets for their global support of PPI programmes,” said Managing Director Marcel van der Heever. “We also extend our sincerest gratitude to Sasol for their many years of support and for helping us make the City-Wide Tournament such a memorable event through their kind donation of matching T-shirts, caps and water bottles for all the kids.”

To start off activities, all participants took part in a team building session to get more comfortable and interact with their new teammates. Teams then competed in basketball games, with each team playing four matches on their respective courts.

In addition to the basketball and fun, Zoë-Life, a partner of PPI-SA, hosted free Voluntary Counseling Testing (VCT) services for HIV/AIDS for anyone older than 16 years of age. This was a first for the City-Wide Tournament, and added unparalleled value to the tournament. PPI-SA bases its life-skills curriculum largely around HIV/AIDS education and awareness, and the presence of Zoë-Life created a supportive and encouraging platform for people to get tested and know their status.

Another highlight of the day was the integration of our Leadership Development Program participants into the City-Wide. Over 40 LDP high school participants came and volunteered as coaches and mentors to their younger counterparts. Many of the LDP participants were a part of the City-Wide as 6th and 7th graders, so it was a special experience for them to now be role models. The champions of LDP for the 1st semester, Molweni, were also awarded their trophy in front of the entire tournament during the closing ceremonies.

On behalf of PPI-SA, we would like to thank everyone, especially its staff, for making the event a huge success and a special day for all.

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by | September 26, 2011 · 1:29 pm

From the Archive: 2009 Kaelo “Stories of Hope”

This video from 2009 examines the partnership between Sasol, a South African chemical company, and PeacePlayers International – South Africa. Learn how Sihle Cele, a South African teen, has found a much needed positive outlet with PPI – SA.

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