Social Organizations Highlighted in Streetball

The Ark City of Refuge

The Ark City of Refuge is a faith-based shelter outside of Cape Town that is open to anyone who is looking for a safe home.  The community is comprised of those who are homeless, orphaned, struggling with addictions, victims of abuse or those who simply need a safe place to live.  There are usually between 500-1000 people living at The Ark at a given time. There are over 2,250 meals prepared daily for residents.  Skills training in sewing, carpentry, welding, painting and driving are other opportunities The Ark provides its residents.  The Ark also runs its own school from nursery school through grade nine, a Bible school, as well as offers counseling, sports training, camps, arts and culture activities and holistic care to meet the needs of the children.

Beth Uriel House of Light

www.bethuriel.co.za

Home to 26 previously disadvantaged young men between the ages of 16 and 24, Beth Uriel House of Light is committed to the independence of each of the men in their home “family.”  Beth Uriel is a faith-based organization that has committed to making family values the core of their work. Dedicated to creating opportunities for those who would otherwise have none, Beth Uriel wrestles with issues of poverty, lack of education and the affects of HIV and AIDS on youth, and aspires to offer comprehensive care in every aspect of their program.

Life at Beth Uriel is much like any family. There’s healthy discipline, school is a priority and the family relaxes together. The guys have duties, celebrate birthdays, and go on holiday outings together.  In pursuit of independence, Beth Uriel desires to give each and every young man that comes through its doors quality educational opportunities at both the secondary and tertiary levels. Taking its focus from job placement to “career placement,” it is hoped that while at Beth Uriel, each young man will begin walking down a life path that will create successful opportunities for him long beyond his time at the home.

MylifE

www.mylife.org.za

Between 1,000 and 6,000 children a day are orphaned in South Africa, most of them losing their parents to HIV/AIDS.  MylifE is a Cape Town based organization that provides housing, life skills training, counseling and anti-addiction programs to homeless youth and young adults.

MylifE works from the belief that it takes a village to raise a child.  This understanding has led to the next step in the MylifE project – a pilot model for eco development that will skill youth to be the caregivers of the future and prevent millions of children from ending up on the streets.

MylifE has been recognized by Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, the Premiere of the Western Cape, representatives of the Dalai Lama, local Ministers for National Government and a host of others as an extremely important venture with global implications and application.