South Africa is full of statistics, many pressing social problems, and limited opportunities. It has the highest percentage of rape per capita in the world. Four out of ten girls—almost half—will suffer some kind of abuse. If that has not shocked you, a recently published statistic stated that 15 year olds today growing up in South Africa will have a 50-50 chance of contracting HIV/AIDS in their lifetime. Girls from 5-19 years old are the most at-risk group in South Africa.

Jogo Bonito School of Excellence seeks to create a safe environment in which to share the gospel with young girls. Its soccer training program is intense and operates ten months out of the year. It also teaches life skills as part of the program. Each girl must commit to being part of the program long term. In 2005, over 50 girls were actively involved. They came from all kinds of religious backgrounds. Through the relationships they built with the volunteers, they learned about the love Jesus offers them. In recent years, several have put their trust in Jesus as their Savior, and many of them were baptized. These new believers now reach out to their unsaved teammates and participate actively in local churches.

Soccer, or football as it is known in many parts of the world, is a great tool to reach people with the gospel. Jogo Bonito School of Excellence, founded in 2001 by Lee-David and Deborah du Plessis, has been using soccer to build relationships with girls from 5-19 years of age. The program has directly impacted over 200 girls in the last 5 years.

Key Goals of the Program

1. Bring each girl to an understanding of Jesus’ love for her.
2. Educate them about HIV/AIDS
3. Encourage them to finish high school
4. Mentor them as future female leaders for South Africa
5. Develop national team level soccer players

Deb is a former SIM short-termer from the US, and her husband Lee-David is South African. SIM partners with this program in several ways and plans to send short-termers to assist in this work. SIM is also actively seeking to raise funds to ensure the long term sustainability of this sports ministry.

Ministry to young people in South Africa is vitally important. Young women, in particular, desperately need to know that they are worth fighting for. If you would like to help Jogo Bonito School of Excellence continue to make a difference in the lives of young girls in Cape Town, South Africa, please send your gift to your nearest SIM office.