Partnership in Action: Empowering Young People in South Africa

Today I landed in South Africa, the start of ten days of partnership in action.

Over the next week and a half, we'll be training community volunteers, building capacity within local organisations, and delivering youth-led activities for young people and children in under-resourced communities and those living in poverty.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation's connection to South Africa and to Cape Town goes back to Rio's time at Manchester United, and it continues to this day. Partnership sits at the heart of everything we do, and we are grateful to the support of new partners Football for Impact who have funded the training of this year’s intake.

I am always aware that while at the Foundation, we have a proven model of delivery that can achieve results, local context is always key, and it is important that we engage local organisations and people who can help shape our delivery model to maximise its impact.

Over the years, I have seen many organisations try to deliver outside of their own experience and communities, but the results are often disappointing. That's because local context isn't a detail. It's everything.

In the UK, there are nuances between cities and towns. Between the UK and Ireland. And especially between the UK and South Africa, differences that reflect local culture, history, and societal structures. At the Foundation, we take that seriously. We engage local organisations and people who help shape our delivery model, because that's how you maximise impact and stay true to your mission: powering the potential of young people and communities.

This short documentary maps the history of the work in South Africa, the partnerships and impact we have, and brings to life the work we do in some small way.

I'm looking forward to getting started alongside our partners, our community mentors (last year's cohort and this year's new intake), and colleagues who have been on this journey with us for well over a decade. Your work has shaped not just our approach in South Africa,  it has genuinely changed lives.

We're also delighted to welcome Lyle and Scott as our latest partners. Thank you for joining us, for helping to resource local community football teams, and for supporting the production of this documentary. And a huge thanks to Joel Beya and the team at Cheeky Sport for bringing it to life.

Enjoy the documentary, and please do contact the Foundation if you want to support us or get involved.