Sport Updates

Meet our Volunteers:

Hi everyone, my name is Maarten and I’ll be staying with the Grootbos Foundation for six weeks. I’ll be working as a Sports Development Volunteer in the afternoons and supporting the Communication and Marketing team in the mornings.

Volunteering at Grootbos gives me the chance to step outside my own context, gain intercultural experience, and learn more about global responsibility. I want to contribute with respect and openness, working alongside local communities and supporting initiatives that focus on long-term impact.

I chose Grootbos because I visited the reserve with my family in October 2024 and was really inspired by its mission of combining nature conservation with community development. I‘m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this work and excited to contribute where I can gain new experiences.

Hey, my name is Cord (on the right, with Coach Mzi on the left) and I will be staying with the Grootbos foundation for 3 months. I decided to take part in the Sports for Development project, offered by the Grootbos Foundation, and to get closer insights into the everyday life here in South Africa. Additionally I would like to support the local community and admire the connection between nature conservation, sustainability and social engagement in Grootbos.

I became aware of Grootbos through friends, who have been supporting the foundation for a couple of years and they told me about the Sports for Development program, which instantly caught my attention. I am especially looking forward to be part of the Grootbos team, meeting people with different backgrounds and making a meaningful impact together.

Past volunteers:

We've had two blasts from the past volunteers/interns visit Grootbos Foundation recently.

Pictured on top in yellow is Stephen who drove a martial arts program in Blompark with high risk kids.

And pictured at the bottom is Ruud, one of our previous Dutch interns who initiated the first 24 hour soccer tournament and fundraising campaign to raise money for the Foundation's sports bus.

This week, Grootbos coaches have assisted at local schools inter-house athletics days.

One of our sports highlights was a hockey session with Die DANAS, Germany's national women's hockey team who spent the afternoon at Spaces4sport. What a joyful privilege to share sport across the age, language and cultural divide

Die DANAS.

Die DANAS also planted indigenous trees in a special restoration site at Grootbos where they have planted 1'801 trees since 2020 with funds raised directly by Die DANAS.