CAPE TOWN, South Africa — It is known to be one of the most dangerous townships in South Africa. More children are murdered here than anywhere else in the country.
The Nyanga township near Cape Town International Airport may have a reputation of violence, but volunteers from Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, are not letting that stop them from shining the light of Christ in an otherwise dark place.
As the World Cup is underway in Cape Town, the team of 18 youth and six adults from Forest Hills is working with IMB missionaries to host a Life Champ Day Camp at Linge Junior Secondary School in Nyanga.
Each day, eager children attend the camp, where they learn skills in soccer and basketball, participate in team-building exercises, and hear a lesson from the Bible, among other activities.
Throughout the day, team chants and cheers echo through the school as more than 170 children, divided into groups by age, follow their team leaders, singing and dancing to each station.
With so much excitement in the air and joy on the children’s faces, one may never believe the dangers they face just outside the fence of the school.
“This township has been called the murder capital of South Africa for the past three years,” said Bruce Erickson, IMB missionary.
The North Carolina team will continue hosting the Life Champs Day Camp at Linge through the end of the week.
Jacob Alexander is a writer for IMB’s Global Communication Team. He enjoys sharing God’s stories from all over Africa and is becoming more of a soccer fan from being in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.
