In the NGO-sector all organisations need to support one another and work together in order to meet the great demand for intervention in the communities that are served. Bethesda, one such local NGO, identified a need for an informal event where all NGOs in George can get together, interact and just have fun together.
They contacted TOTAL Courtenay to get on board and sponsor a sporty day, the NGO Games. The main aim of the day was twofold: networking between NGO staff, volunteers, families, board members, friends and the marketing of their respective services. "We were excited about getting involved in making a positive impact on the community we live in and decided to sponsor the TOTAL Courtenay NGO Games," says Maryke Neizel of TOTAL Courtenay.
The staff and volunteers involved in community work are often faced with extremely difficult situations that drain their physical and emotional energy and they seldom receive the recognition and reward for their selfless efforts. Fun and laughter are excellent ways of releasing tension and celebrating life.
The NGO Games offered those involved with NGOs to laugh and have fun while they competed for the floating trophies.
At the same time they got to know the staff and volunteers of other NGOs, thus networking in an informal way. Every NGO is only one link in the chain that serves the community; co-operation between the NGOs was thus promoted through social interaction.
"By sponsoring the TOTAL Courtenay NGO Games, we were able to play a part in restoring the emotional strength of the NGO staff & volunteers, in order for them to make a difference to the communities they serve," says Maryke.
NGO teams competed against one another in netball and tug-of-war games. Each game ultimately had one winning team, which received prizes and a floating trophy.
A Kiddies Corner with many activities and supervision, food stalls and refreshments to create fundraising opportunities for NGOs, rounded off the day.
"Bethesda's NGO Games Committee was involved in organising the event. TOTAL Courtenay's initial involvement was to sponsor a cash amount to get the project started. We also assisted in providing them with prizes, promotional material and floating trophies.
"The TOTAL Courtenay NGO Games was the first of its kind in the region. The response has been very positive and many NGOs of George have enroled. The plan is to develop it into an annual event and to eventually involve all the NGOs of the Southern Cape.
"An empty well cannot give water of life to the people around it who are thirsty. Often the staff and volunteers of NGOs are like empty wells: they give all of themselves to the point of burn out and then they cannot fulfil the needs of the people around them. One of the goals of the TOTAL Courtenay NGO Games was to fill their "emotional wells" through fun, laughter and interaction with like-minded people, in order for them to serve the communities around them," says Maryke.
Itemba Lobomi's A team won the netball tournament at the Total Courtenay's NGO Games Day. With the winning team is Maryke Neizel (third from left) of Total Courtenay, who sponsored the day.
