Hockey looks to change lives in Bontleng
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday May 26, 2025 10:33
The Bontleng Hockey Community development programme, which was launched over the weekend, comes at a time when the youth in the area are faced with challenges. The programme founder, Irene Jeremiah told MmegiSport that she came up with the idea in 2017 after graduating from the University of Botswana. She explained that during her days as a player, she felt the need for hockey to be inclusive and accessible to everyone, as it was commonly played in private schools. “Initially, I started a development programme in Bontleng, but I had to quit due to work commitments. I came back to interact with the Bontleng community in 2021. I realised that the gap that I had left still existed, kids that I had left were now drug users but they had the potential to be hockey players. I can actually use hockey to make sure that a child is protected, informed, and reaches their potential. We are targeting children between the ages of eight and 18 years,” she said. Jeremiah started playing hockey in 2013 as a UB student until she graduated in 2017.
She then became a child protection officer at Stepping Stones International and also a Gender Based Violence (GBV) activist working with the community, and she identified the vulnerability that existed. Jeremiah said a nine-year-old who was enrolled in her project before was now a drug addict. “I felt that hockey could have saved that child’s life. That was when I reached out to other hockey players, because I felt there was something I could do for that community. I had to dig into my professional background, liaised with a Bontleng social worker, the Bontleng community, and the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), and they all accepted the project. I am also a women’s representative in the Hockey Association of Botswana board, my aim is to increase women's and girls' participation in the sport,” she said.
Jeremiah said as a way of empowering women, coaches used in the project are women. She said for the project to be sustainable, there will be a need to capacity some members of the community to be coaches and also engage other stakeholders. She said they want to support the girl-child to make sure that they continue playing sport. “Bontleng is a vulnerable area marred by social and economic inequalities. Each girl-child who will be in the project will be supplied with sanitary pads monthly, as a way to boost their confidence. We are also in the process of seeking partnerships with tutoring companies. The plan is also to introduce other life skills to the youngsters. I want these children to be selected for the national team,” Jeremiah said.