03 May 2016

Oliver Kahn Safe-Hub to Open May 18 in Gugulethu-Manenberg

Submitted by: Vikki Loles

The Oliver Kahn Safe-Hub will officially open in Gugulethu-Manenberg during a launch event on Wednesday, May 18 with 100 representatives from nonprofit, government, business and the local community. Attendees will gather on the grounds of Intshukumo Comprehensive High School, opposite Nyanga Junction in the heart of Gugulethu-Manenberg. The launch will be kicked off by former Germany captain and goalkeeper, legendary footballer Oliver Kahn.

The Oliver Kahn Foundation is a long-standing partner of AMANDLA EduFootball, the NGO that developed the award-winning Safe-Hub Model. Kahn said of the Safe-Hub launch: “I strongly believe that if we create a positive, encouraging environment for young people, they can achieve anything. This Safe-Hub will be a meeting-point to drive youth and community development – it’s a place for learning and fun, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it.”

The Safe-Hub Model is designed to globally disrupt the intergenerational cycles of poverty, unemployment and inequality that trap young people growing up in urban slums. Each Safe-Hub includes an artificial turf field, training academy, psychosocial support centre, and a Youth Café, which is run by local youth and offers free WiFi access and meeting space. A platform for community engagement as well as youth development, the Safe-Hub also includes commercial space for young entrepreneurs and local start-ups, as well as shared office space for local NGOs and government initiatives.

The Safe-Hub Model uses an evidence-based approach that has been refined by AMANDLA over 9 years of working in some of South Africa’s most challenging areas. AMANDLA and its partners collectively operate three Safe-Hubs serving up to 6,000 young people in Diepsloot, Khayelitsha and now Gugulethu-Manenberg. Planning is underway for additional Safe-Hubs within South Africa, as well as the first Safe-Hub outside of the country, to be located in Berlin, Germany.

For more information on the Oliver Kahn Safe-Hub launch, kindly email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To request media credentials for the event, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

AMANDLA EduFootball   AMANDLA EduFootball is an international Non-Profit Organisation that is based in South Africa and Germany. The organisation’s mission is to create safe spaces that bring together the power of football and learning to empower youth and change lives. AMANDLA’s vision is: “A world where all young people access equal opportunities, strive to realise their full potential and dare to dream...“   AMANDLA is endorsed by the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace. The organisation has won numerous international awards such as the Beyond Sport Award.

The Oliver Kahn Foundation   The Oliver Kahn Foundation is a German charitable foundation that pursues exclusively charitable objectives with the vision of ‘Empowering Young People’. The basis of the Foundation is the ‘Du packst es!’-Programme, a motivational learning programme based on an 11-step approach to reaching one’s personal vision. Oliver Kahn is an internationally recognised former football star generating visibility, partnerships and networks for the Safe-Hub campaign. For more information visit www.oliver-kahn-stiftung.de