FONDWE – A well-known community builder and athletics coach, Mr Michael Rasikhinya, will be hosting the 84th birthday of Mr Nelson Mandela from 18 to 20 July 2002 in Pietersburg.

Rasikhinya and his club, Fondwe Athletic Club (FAC) has been roped in to celebrate the birthday of the former president by the sponsors of the club and the Nelson Mandela Children's fund. As a partner of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, Fondwe was invited under the united banner of their commitment to supporting children and improving the quality of their lives.

Mandela has chosen a theme "Disability and Unified Sports" that will highlight the abilities of the intellectually disabled children by providing them with the opportunity to interact with mainstream children.

A tradition has emerged whereby Mr Mandela hosts an annual birthday celebration for children. Nelson Mandela Children's Fund has partnered with Special Olympics International to bring together mainstream children and intellectually disabled children, to interact through 10 unified sporting activities.

Fondwe Athletics club has been requested to send 65 athletes of between the ages of 10 and 15 who will join other 415 athletes. Sixty-five of these children will be coming from the Maroment Youth Project also in Limpopo. About thirteen adults from the two clubs will accompany the children.

"We wanted to involve all the children in our region, but it will be impossible to take everybody. Right now the bus is still empty and we invite anyone who want to join us to go and celebrate with the world icon to contact us at our offices in Thohoyandou NPDC building office no 2, second floor," said Rasikhinya.

Rasikhinya said they would be visiting the deepest rural areas to get children from these areas so that they can get a chance to meet the former President. He said the task team is already in place and they are on the way to different areas.

"All the community leaders who want to be part of the event can make an appointment with the project leader for your area to be visited by the task team. We have an awareness campaign about the intellectual disability and hope your community can benefit from the project," said Rasikhinya who can be contacted at 082 424 5402.