Update from the founder, Bernd Steinhage
Dear Young Bafana Family,
I hope this message finds you well. Herewith a brief update from the YB Academy, which is well overdue and something different to the usual monthly newsletter.
As you know, the non-profit environment is not easy to navigate. A non-profit relies heavily on support from donors and in our case a handful of annual events and the YB Stars programme.
During the past 14 years, we have managed to show tangible growth and results due to passion, perseverance and commitment to the cause.
Two main focal points are currently a matter of priority, and this is what I would like to bring to your attention today. Namely, our nutrition programme as well as the YB Girls.
Your support continues to play a crucial role in our success, and we wanted to keep you informed about the latest developments at Young Bafana.
1. Coach Graham retires:
After almost a decade spent serving our children and community, Coach Graham has decided to call it a day.
We are forever grateful to Graham for his loyal support, always going the extra mile for our children and dedication towards improving the lives of those who need it most.
You will be dearly missed at YB and our doors remain open for you to come and enjoy matches at the Arena and bumping into familiar faces. Thank you from all of us at YB.
2. YB Players restaurant continues to cook, every Tuesday:
As you may or may not know, we provide food to all our players daily and cook once per week. We were fortunate enough to have a corporate sponsor covering most of these costs until the end of June 2024. Ie, as from the end of June the budget for cooking will come to an end.
The current cost to sustain the YB cooking (players restaurant) programme is as follows, ZAR 8.000 per month or ZAR 90.000 per year.
We would be extremely grateful if you were to share or consider supporting our YB player's restaurant to ensure that we can continue to feed and educate our players about nutrition.
3. YB girls:
Our girl's project was a result of many people asking 'why does YB not have a girl's programme?
My answer was always simple, 'girls can play together with the boys up until 12 or 13', which was the case at YB since its inception in 2010. Starting a girl's team was never an option due to strict budgetary constraints.
However, as older girls started to enquire, we had to turn them away due to a lack of funding. Being the stubborn and persistent person I am, I decided to pay a girl's coach and start a separate girl's team back in Jan/Feb 2022.
The girls love it and have played numerous matches, received food and have shown great development during their two years at YB. Sadly, there is no budget and to uphold the fiduciary responsibility, it is in the best interest of the organisation to put a stop to the programme until a sponsor has been found.
Should you wish to support our girls, please feel free to contact me.
4. Financial Overview:
Thanks to your support, we have managed to maintain a steady budget, allowing us to sustain all existing programmes except for the girl's and players restaurant as these initiatives have simply become too costly.
We are currently exploring additional funding opportunities to further enhance our facilities and expand our reach within the community.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss further ways to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Thank you once again for your invaluable support and do continue to spread the YB love around the world. Yours,
Bernd Steinhage, Founder
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