For many years, CAST’s Youth Development programme has provided multiple sport ministries for boys. During the last few months, Dale Nunes and Antony Mbugua have started a tennis team specifically for high school girls in KwaDabeka.
This exciting new opportunity has provided the girls a safe place to go after school to spend time with their friends and gain confidence in a new skill.
On the tennis court, girls are encouraged by the coaches to keep trying new tennis skills until they are mastered. Most of the girls admit that if they did not come, they would sit in front of the television. However, with tennis the girls are expected to attend practice, participate, and make time for studies after practice. While this is a wonderful opportunity, the girls battled during practice because they played in their school shoes.
This past Thursday was an especially special practice. On the way to the tennis courts, the girls were informed that they would receive a surprise. As the girls jumped out of the CAST taxi, giggles and excited whispers could be heard. When the girls discovered they were receiving new takkies from Reebok for practice, their joyful response was, “Brand new shoes just for us?!”
The coaches led an official “takkies” ceremony, where each girl received her shoes individually and tried them on. Thanks to Reebok’s generous donation, instead of wearing their uncomfortable school shoes for tennis practice, the girls now had takkies specifically for tennis. During practice, the girls proudly showed off their brand new takkies to each other and approached practice with even more confidence.
Our prayer is that the girls on the team will develop confidence both in their tennis skills, and confidence in the person who the Lord has created them to be.
