A Harfield Village teenager has merged his love for swimming with his passion for music and raised R10 000 for an organisation which teaches music to children from poor areas.
Kyran Jooste, 13, started swimming at the age of 3 and trained with a few swimming clubs until the drought hit the city and he decided to train on his own.
The Grade 7 Cedar House pupil took part in the Sanlam Cape Charity Mile in February and while he planned to only swim three miles, he managed to swim four miles.
He felt inspired while taking part in the charity mile and wanted to see how he could make a meaningful impact.
“I took part in the Sanlam Cape Charity Mile and had never swam the 5 miles’ distance but pledged to swim as far as I could. I swam for Swim for Hope; and decided to dedicate my swim to Muzukidz,” he said.
Kyran said he wanted to raise funds through Swim For Hope’s platform and to also raise awareness about open water swimming which was his favourite.
He was inspired by Carina Bruwer, founder of Swim for Hope, who has not only succeeded in achieving ambitious goals, but also turned a challenge into opportunity, said Kyran. Carina introduced him to Muzukidz.
Through crowd funding on GivenGain, he managed to reach his R10 000 goal for the organisation.
Kyransaid he hopes this would help to raise awareness for Muzukidz, an organisation making a difference in the lives of children and their families through music – specifically the violin.
“Maria, the ‘mother’ of Muzukidz is a passionate mentor, who cares deeply about enriching the lives of children and bridging the divides. Through playing the violin, children’s spirits are raised and they believe that their dreams are possible,” he said.
Muzukidz aims to alleviate poverty by providing instrumental tuition to children.
The Suzuki method is used, which is based on educating talent from early childhood. This learning process not only develops intellectual capacity, but also focuses on emotional development and well-being of the children.
Marieza van Zyl from Muzukidz said: “It is absolutely amazing to see such a young person like Kyran inspired and also acknowledge the role of early music tuition in changing the lives of very young children”.
Kyran’s mother, Cristina said she was proud of her son, who remained dedicated and committed to his swimming and steadfast in his personal goals.
“Kyran is passionate about swimming and is always ready to practise. What he sets out to achieve, he does, but at his own pace,” she said.
He plans to take part in the Sanlam Cape Charity Mile again next year and said he wanted to take his charitable initiatives further.
“I’ve been inspired now and plan to continue fund-raising and see where I can help out,” said Kyran.