EcoActive: Using swimming to change lives

Safe swimming. Motivation through sport. Keeping kids in school.

EcoActive encourages and motivates deprived youngsters in the Lavender Hill area of Cape Town with training in swimming and water safety. Staff and volunteers aim to build participants’ confidence and fitness – and, critically, reduce drownings. Supplemental programmes focus on cutting school dropout rates.

Belinda Minter founded the organisation in 2014, based on her experience that lives can be changed through the discipline of sport. EcoActive works with five primary schools and successfully got the ‘learn to swim’ programme included in the Grade 4 school curriculum.

EcoActive staff and long-term volunteers are committed to helping youngsters across the community. The organisation relies heavily on volunteers and donations, and welcomes help of any kind. Ninety One has supported EcoActive over the past two years by matching generous contributions from staff, who’ve also been active volunteers.