Our Story
Imagine a community where every child has access to safe spaces to play, socialise, and learn, freely. A community where make-do goal posts, dirt pitches and deflated balls are replaced with goals for an attainable future and control of one’s destiny. Where fear and powerlessness are displaced by a shared sense of togetherness, dignity, and hope. A community where a child can be a child: active, healthy, engaged, curious, loved, cared for, and heard; a seed preparing to flower in the fullness of its potential.
Remgro, in collaboration with Stellenbosch Football Club, founded the Open Play Foundation in January 2023 with the conviction that safe and accessible recreational spaces designed and activated by communities for communities will enable the children of Stellenbosch to discover their full potential. Our town has an abundance of world-class sports and recreational facilities, but these are mostly inaccessible to the communities in and around Stellenbosch. Here, children have to make do with undermaintained public spaces and infrastructure that aren’t fit for purpose and that don’t support optimal engagement and childhood development.
Our partnership-based investments in infrastructure and social-development programmes are aimed at establishing platforms where community organisations, businesses, schools, and individuals can collaborate to improve social cohesion, create opportunities for spontaneous and organised play, and introduce initiatives addressing community-specific needs. Ultimately, whole communities benefit from investments that are geared towards developing active and actively-engaged children who have access to the recreational, cultural and educational resources and support every child deserves.
Kayamandi is the first community to participate in projects initiated by the Open Play Foundation.
