Miles for Smiles 2024 raised £2,745 as 30 runners took on a festive 7K in London! Read about their success and be inspired to join us for our next event. Every mile matters, every smile counts!
United Through Sport Mauritius partnered with Quatre Borne Football Club to strengthen grassroots football. Through international volunteers, coaching programs, and donations, young players gained new opportunities to develop their skills.
Sometimes, the simplest acts can have the biggest impact. That’s what Mike and I (Juliette) discovered when we decided to get involved with United Through Sports Mauritius, a new division of sports charity working to empower and inspire young people in Mauritius through the power of sport. What began as a way to support a great cause soon turned into an unforgettable experience that reminded us of the power of community, teamwork, and giving back.
The charity’s biggest challenge at the time that we arrived was equipment, and we knew we could contribute in this area. To get more kids involved and ensure they had access to proper sports gear, we set ourselves the goal of raising funds for new equipment. For several weeks, we reached out to friends, family, and colleagues, explaining what we were supporting and why it mattered. It was not long before we started receiving donations and pledges of support. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, felt like a step closer to helping United Through Sport fulfil its mission.
We were thrilled to announce that we raised a total of 315 towards the cause! The money we raised would go directly towards buying new sports equipment, helping the charity expand its programs and providing more opportunities for the kids involved.
Here is a breakdown of the equipment we were able to purchase with the funds raised:
What struck us the most during this experience was how sports can bring people together in a meaningful way. Even though we were raising funds from afar, we felt like part of something bigger—a global movement of people working towards a common goal. The children who would benefit from this equipment may never know our names, but through our efforts, we were able to make sure they had access to the tools that would help them grow, learn, and thrive.
Having utilised the new equipment in over 40 sessions, we have been able to enhance our approach and introduce more creativity into our drills. This has had a tangible impact on the students, as it reduces waiting times and allows for more individual participation, resulting in increased time spent on the ball and more effective skill development.
As we reflect on our experience, it’s clear that the power of sport goes beyond just physical activity—it’s about creating opportunities, building relationships, and making a real difference in the lives of those who need it most. Mike and I are grateful for the chance to contribute to such a meaningful cause, and we hope that our efforts inspire others to get involved and make their own difference, too.
Juliette Van Der Ham and Mike James, UTS Mauritius Sports Co-Ordinators
United Through Sport is raising funds to provide talented youth in Nelson Mandela Bay with scholarships to top high schools, breaking the cycle of poverty through education, life skills, and employability programs.
Thanks to your support, United Through Sport has built a second AstroTurf soccer field, expanding access to safe sports facilities, creating jobs, and generating sustainable income for future programmes.
Cara is one of our Youth Rising Programme participants who has recently received a scholarship to play football at Tennessee Wesleyan University in the United States. She has always had a dream to play overseas and has worked hard to achieve her goals!
From a young age, Cara has been passionate about playing football and has pursued her passion. Growing up, there weren’t many girls teams for her to join but she didn’t let that dissuade her and so she joined the boy’s teams. As she got older, more options opened up for her and she now plays for the semi-professional South African Women’s League.
Receiving a scholarship to play overseas means that she is one step closer to achieving her goal of becoming a professional football player. While this is great news, unfortunately, the scholarship does not cover all of the costs and we need help from United Through Sport supporters to cover the additional costs. Please donate to help Cara on her way to playing for a university team in the United States!
While Cara prepares to study and play overseas she is still actively involved in the United Through Sport Youth Rising Programme, receiving one-on-one mentorship and coaching younger football players from her area. She is focused on preparing herself to study and play overseas. We are excited to continue to support her on her pathway to success and your support will get her one step closer to reaching her goal!
Hear from Nade Ward, one of our previous volunteers in Saint Lucia, and how he continues to give back to United Through Sport through his company Socker Share.
“In 2019, I took part in a football coaching volunteer project for United Through Sport. I visited the incredible country of Saint Lucia, in the hope of making a difference, without even realizing just how much impact I would go on to have.
I coached after-school clubs at Marchand and Vide Bouteille primary schools, delivered sessions at a local pre-school, as well as coached senior teams at two of the islands popular football clubs, Valley Soccer and Big Players FC, helping them to prepare for league matches. I also raised £1,077.85 for the charity prior to my trip!
Whilst I was out there, an issue was brought to my attention: charities receive boot donations, but never any socks, meaning that children are having to play football bare feet!
Problems need solving and that is exactly what my cousin Connor and I have set out to do. Socker Share was born in October 2020, a brand that promises to match each purchase with a donation of socks to an underprivileged child, so that they can wear football boots without damaging their feet.
We have proudly partnered with United Through Sport, currently supporting their Saint Lucia, Mauritius, and South Africa programs, which means the world to me because it is those children who inspired our initiative in the first place.
We have seen so many amazing United Through Sport volunteers join our community, which is something that we are incredibly grateful for, with our following growing more and more each day.”
You can get involved by visiting our website www.sockershare.co.uk, as well as following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – @SockerShare. Together, we are making a huge difference.
Oxford Brookes Business Management and Geography student Chris Zahn has completed the Weymouth Ironman in order to raise money for United Through Sport projects.
A promising rower in his late school years, having represented Great Britain at the Junior rowing championship in Rio and winning the Henley Royal Regatta with his University, Chris, unfortunately had to stop competing prematurely due to a back injury in sustained in 2017. He used this time of disappointment as a chance to refocus and decided to test himself in this year’s Weymouth Ironman, and decided to compete as a fundraiser for United Through Sport!
“I decided to pick United Through Sports because I really wanted to give back to the sporting community that had given me so much and had allowed me to do some amazing things and go to some amazing places.”
Chris set an initial target of £250 but was delighted to surpass that, finishing with a total of £335 to support our global grassroot projects. United Through Sport is eternally grateful for Chris’ efforts and those who supported his fundraising.
On Friday the 13th of September endurance athlete Cameron Bellamy will be attempting to swim from Barbados to St Lucia to raise funds his departing island Barbados, his arrival island St Lucia, as well as his home country, South Africa. Cameron has a large focus on making a difference in youths lives with education and development. The funds raised for United Through Sport will be going towards our learn to swim programme which has been running for two years. With this we hope to be able to expand and reach even more children in the island of St Lucia.
This swim has never been attempted before, the swim is a massive 160km long and is expected to take 60 hours to complete.
Cameron will start his endeavour from St Peters Bay, north west coast of Barbados, and end in Vieux Fort in the south of St Lucia. Previously Cameron has swam around the entire island of Barbados he was the first person ever to complete this and it was the 4th longest open water swim ever. Cameron has also completed the The Oceans Seven which is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims.
You can track his progress here: https://ubunye.web.app
We wish him all the best for the journey and any funds raised are greatly appreciated and will go along way with developing swimming skills for the children of St Lucia.
The local run football club Hartland and Clovelly AFC have provided a donation of £1220 for United Through Sport in memory of their former member, Martin Heard, who tragically died in 2014.
Hartland and Clovelly AFC runs 3 teams and have been an intrinsic part of local village life for many generations. Every other year the football club organise a fundraising day in memory of their dear friend, Marty. This year they have decided to donate a share of the proceeds to United Through Sport to reflect the importance they believe sport and community were to him. The objective of the event was not just about raising money, but to bring the local community together and make a positive impact from such a terrible tragedy.
The event took place on a farm in Hartland and was a great success. It started of with an afternoon of family fun with a sport emphasis. This included a large amount of activities, such as football and boxing coaching, badminton and rope swings. Moreover, they organised a ticketed event in the evening “Party for Marty” which consisted of a live band, bar and hog roast.
We would like to thank Hartland and Clovelly AFC and their team of helpers and supporters for their contribution, it will be vital across our global projects.
Hartland and Clovelly AFC support United Through SportJuly 18, 2019 - 7:32 pm
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Miles for Smiles: Our First UK Charity Run Raises £2,745!March 12, 2025 - 10:00 am
UTS Mauritius: A Year of Progress with Quatre Borne Football ClubMarch 5, 2025 - 12:55 pm
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From Funds to the Field: Empowering Youth Through Sports Equipment –January 15, 2025 - 1:34 pm