Soccer can be more than just a fun, popular sport. It can be a great tool for building a better future and effecting change in our communities. Kamohelo Moalosi realised how powerful soccer could be in instilling discipline in young people. He then founded Soccerdemics, an organisation that assists children from Edenvale, Germiston, Thembisa, and Alexandra. His NGO helps children between the ages of 11 to 19 years old.
Kamohelo himself is a skillful soccer player of note. Having played for soccer teams such as Silver Stars (now Platinum Stars) in Modderfontein, where he played for a season. He started his soccer journey when he was 12 years. At 17 years, he went for trials with the former Silver Stars and got selected to play. At 19, Kamohelo had the opportunity to play in the first division in Australia.
Kamohelo’s NGO uses football to attract young people, especially those from poor communities. ” We use soccer as our medium to attract the youth so we can draw numbers,” he told TransformSA.
“Initially, we had a charge fee, but for obvious reasons, most kids could not afford that. But they all showed up anyway.”
“So we decided to take them in because we realised that there was a need for these kids to be kept busy. We decided to relaunch our model to try to take as many kids as possible. We had 25 to 28 kids every day,” said Kamohelo.
As a young man who dealt with the regular social struggles that most black youths face, Kamohelo wanted to help young people not face the same struggles.
“It has always been in my nature to help others to be content with their lives. Understanding that there is more to look forward to. I used to play competitive football, but my career was short-lived. I had to fall in love with being a coach,” explained Kamohelo.
The 34-year-old social activist and coach said the initial plan was to start a social clinic. However, in their first session, they had three kids who had already paid. Still, other young players were watching and willing to join.
Nonprofit organisations like Kamohelo’s often struggle to get funding. In most cases, they rely heavily on donations from individuals and private companies. To date, Kamohelo covers all the expenses out of his pocket.
“I would really love for government and social development to come and see what the future is like. I don’t know if the government understands the importance of making sure that these children are emotionally and spiritually okay,” Kamohelo said.
“I have seen what I have been able to do with 28 kids with limited resources. Government can definitely do a lot more. There is a budget for it. I know for a fact that hundreds of millions are allocated for this,” he concluded.