The spirit of youth empowerment shone brightly on 15 November 2025 when young girls from across Bushbuckridge gathered at Oakley Primary School for the Mathibela Foundation Netball Tournament. The event was hosted by the Mathibela Foundation, with The Lucia O Foundation participating as a partner by donating essential support items to help uplift and empower learners.

Fourteen schools took part in the tournament, which celebrated not only sporting talent but also the importance of education, confidence, dignity and community development. Each school received support materials to help keep learners in school and thriving academically and socially.

The Lucia O Foundation, which partnered with the tournament, reaffirmed its mission to champion sustainable development and advance the wellbeing of young people in Mpumalanga. The organisation focuses on entrepreneurship development, menstrual health management, access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), bodily autonomy, anti-bullying efforts, GBVF prevention, and gender equality.

As part of its ongoing programmes in schools, the foundation leads awareness campaigns, provides health and rights education, distributes sanitary packs, and promotes menstrual hygiene and WASH initiatives. Through its participation and donations at the netball event, the foundation emphasised its commitment to ensuring that every learner—girl and boy—remains dignified, informed and empowered.

In the same spirit, the foundation also expressed its support for LoveLife Mpumalanga’s Sports4Change Netball Tournament, held under the theme “Teenage Pregnancy & Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Awareness.” The theme highlights the pressing need to educate and equip young people with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about their futures.

Both the Mathibela Foundation—through the successful hosting of the event—and the Lucia O Foundation, supported by the Glow Up Make a Difference Initiative, reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening community engagement and driving meaningful, transformative change. Through sport, education and advocacy, these organisations continue to uplift young people across Mpumalanga and beyond.