If my first few weeks here in SA are anything to go by, there’s an abundance of love, culture and friendly faces, something that seldom makes it to the mainstream media in the West; a shame really. From my own previous experiences, discussions on Africa focused on poverty and wide spread disease, occasionally you’ll meet someone who thinks that civilization in Africa consists of a full blown safari in your back garden…I can now confirm that the latter is most definitely…

My journey to Switzerland was a success and a trip of a life time.

My journey started when I was in Durban, this was going to be the first time leaving South Africa to go to a foreign country like Switzerland. My longest flight was 10hr 40min, this took me from Johannesburg straight to Frankfurt, Germany; which was a very tough flight as I was alone the whole way and had no one to talk to. None the less I arrived at my destination safely, and met a few people…

This past week I worked at WhizzKids United. It was in many ways, a sense of déjà vu. You see, WhizzKids United was the first program that I was partnered with when I started at Coaches Across Continents in 2010. Since then, I have worked for CAC in a dozen different African countries. But it was great to get back to WhizzKids United and see familiar faces like Siphelele, Marcus, Stefan and Tom and to see the progress that has been made since my last visit.



When last I wrote…

Hi everyone,



It has been a bit calm around WhizzKids United the last month, but does that mean nothing is happening here in Durban and Edendale? Absolutely not! It has been rather calm because I have been in Australia running the Sydney Marathon to raise funds for WKU and everybody else was too busy to post anything on Facebook or write something on this blog. But now I am back and you can be sure to get all the information you deserve.



October is the month when we are…

Author: Stefan Kunze (pictured above after completing Sydney Marathon)

There are two things in the world that make you feel really good. One is achieving a goal for which you have worked very hard. The other is helping kids who need support because they are living in very…

From May to September this year I got the chance to work with WhizzKids United (WKU) in South Africa. This gave me the great opportunity to experience the work of a non-profit organisation in a developing country that is working to fight one of the world’s most important challenges, HIV & AIDS.

I supported WKU in various aspects of their work, including running football tournaments, offering some computer training for our Health Academy staff or having an arts & crafts session…

Since I spent three of my six months stay with WhizzKids United, I guess it’s the right time to take a review of my time here so far. My work began immediately one day after my arrival with an introduction on each section of WhizzKids United, which gave me a broad first overview of this organisation. After a week,…

written by Siphelele Sibisi

For the past two and half years I was working for WhizzKids United and I have been going to different schools and enjoying it. I was doing…

written by Stefan Kunze

Wonderful news for our Counsellor and Life Skills Trainer Simphiwe Zuma, who has been selected by the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace…

written by Siphelele Sibisi

It is always good to do something and be recognized. For the past two and a half years Sithule and me have always been going to schools for Life Skills Training and tournaments where we would meet with the kids and teachers. But now I got the chance to look at our job as life skills…

written by Florian Meichsner

With our last world-cup style tournament being held for Egagasini Secondary School on 15 June, our work in Umlazi, one of South Africa’s biggest townships, has come to an end. Since 2009, our Life Skills…

written by Johanna Neuke

Nelson Mandela's wish for his birthday was that everyone should do something good for someone else. Following this idea, the KZN MEC of Finance, the Honourable Ms. Ina Cronje, came to visit Edendale Hospital and the WKU Health Academy to see how WhizzKids United helps the Edendale communities and to distribute food to the children of our OVC programme.

For the special event…

written by Johanna Neuke

Since we became involved with the Canada Africa Prevention Trials Network (CAPTN) in March 2011, WhizzKids United has gotten to know some academics who are doing some very interesting research. But none of the research has been as "cutting edge" as the circumcision study that CAPTN is about to embark on in Edendale.This study, to be coordinated by Pietermaritzburg-based psychologist Rusha Govender, will follow a group of teenage boys over a period of…

written by Prudence Maranyana

From May to July 2012 Oxfam Australia and Jetty run a video workshop that me and some other staff members of WKU were invited to take part in. The aim of the workshop was to introduce basic video-making techniques to us and teach us how to film and edit our own videos.…

By Gugu Mofokeng,

On a 3-monthly basis we do a sexual risk assessment for all who are between the ages of 11 and 20 years, who come to the Health Academy. In the sexual risk assessment we check if the young person has done an HIV test before…