sport
It all started with bikes. At the 2008 Cape Epic, Swiss Mountain Bike World Champion and, later, five-time winner of the Cape Epic, Christoph Sauser teamed up with South African cycling legend, the late Burry Stander to tackle the untamed race and raise money to build a BMX track in Kayamandi, outside Stellenbosch. Alongside community sports advocate, Songo Fipaza, the trio realised their dream to provide a safe space for children to play, learn and grow (on bikes!). songo.info was born.
Today, we employ two full-time BMX and mountain bike coaches as well as a full-time mechanic at our beloved clubhouse. Children ride our dedicated BMX track every day when school homework is complete. Our devoted coaching team build skills, camaraderie and confidence and support all levels of cycling development at weekend races across the country. songo.info has created numerous national-level BMX champions, schools mountain bike league winners and we have won the coveted Cape Epic Exxaro development category three times.
education
songo.info’s most valuable impact on the youth of Kayamandi has been our holistic education programme. Our on-site qualified teachers ensure that learners have a structured programme that develops literacy and numeracy and identifies any potential individual learning difficulties.
South Africa’s formal education outcomes make for grim reading. A 2021 study reveals over 80% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language, with 44% of scholars dropping out of school before reaching matric (Grade 12).
Through the use of online edtech tools such as Reading Eggs and School in a Box school grades across our education pillar have shown steady improvement, with our children now testing significantly higher than the national average across subjects. We work closely with The Learning Trust to monitor progress and quickly identify and resolve gaps in our programme. Our graduates are then assisted onto tertiary education and/or internships where possible. songo.info can’t replace the formal education system, but we do all we can to support our children’s learning journey, giving them the best shot at a brighter future.
life skills
Lunch
At songo.info we encourage children to express themselves in the classroom and on the bike. Our kids’ enquiring minds and active bodies need healthy and regular nutrition to fuel their growth and development. Since 2018 songo.info has provided a nutritious balanced meal every day for every child attending our programme.
Sadly, the Kayamandi community includes many families from food-insecure homes. Our humble hot meals prepared by our dedicated kitchen staff ensure kids are fuelled up to tackle the afternoon’s activities and grow into strong vibrant young adults. We partner with Pebbles Kitchen and The Carmen Steven Foundation to ensure our meals are wholesome, varied and substantial to fill empty tummies.
For as little as R12.50 per child per day – or R250 per month – you can contribute a hot lunch for one of our 130 kids. Donate here.
Apprenticeships and internships
Through our donor network songo.info facilitates apprenticeships and internships for its graduates in local businesses, typically in the cycling and eventing industries. These skills sharing and work experience programmes have created passionate masseuses, bike mechanics, guides and trail builders, benefitting the broader Stellenbosch cycling community at their favourite trails and bikes races.
Please get in touch if you’d like to support songo.info’s young graduates as they venture into the workplace.
Tertiary Studies and Bursaries
In partnership with our generous donors songo.info has supported graduates of our cycling and education programme to further their studies at university and college. We have a host of graduates with diplomas and degrees, creating powerful role models in the Kayamandi community. Many of these students pay it forward by offering their time, returning to our clubhouse to tutor and mentor our school-going children.
donors and partners include:
