14 FEBRUARY 2000
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INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK
14 FEBRUARY 2000
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Five years ago 18-year-old Shaheed Adonis was hooked on drugs and his life was falling to pieces. With the support of his family, he started to change his ways. But it was only when he met Cape Town traffic officer Naasief Groenmeyer that his life was turned around.
Groenmeyer runs the Surrey Indoor Cricket Club, an organisation that helps underprivileged children escape the trap of drugs and gangsterism. He started the club in 1995 after his 13-year-old son complained that he and his friend had nothing to keep themselves busy. "I was concerned because this meant they would be hanging out on the streets," says Groenmeyer.
Today, the programme helps more than 100 children. As well as playing cricket, they also do community work, such as collecting and delivering food parcels to children's homes. When Groenmeyer took Shaheed Adonis under his wing, he not only gave the young man a chance to play organised cricket but also the support and discipline he needed to remain drug free.
Adonis is now a club coach and was picked for the South African national indoor cricket team last August. "Since the programme started we have had several success stories;" says Groenmeyer. "And the rewards show in the children's faces."
Deirdre Hussey, Saturday Argus, Cape Town
