Cause Index

Nine Miles Project

Through the provision of supplementary education, rehabilitation, life skills and leadership programmes, including sports (namely surfing) 9Miles Project uplifts and empowers impoverished and high-risk youth from coastal informal settlements in South Africa.

Motivated by his love for surfing and the pivotal role that the discipline of this activity played in his life, Nigel Savel, along
with his wife Sher’Neil, started the project with the vision of improving their crime and drug-scourged community.

Nigel recognised that the children growing up in the surrounding informal settlements were living with gangsters and drug
dealers as role models and that there were very few organised activities or programmes to motivate and mould young impressionable minds. Surfing was used as a catalyst to entice students to the
project and to teach them discipline, determination and life skills

Their projects and programmes:
- Strengthen families and communities
- Create safe spaces where youth can express themselves and have a positive sense of belonging
- Provide structured afterschool support and activities
- Ensure youth are able to identify with positive influences in their lives which further promotes a sense of belonging and inclusion.
- Ensure youth are literate, numerate and prepared for life and work
- Provide employment and skills development thus breaking the
poverty cycle and reliance on the State
- Provide preventative solutions i.e crime prevention, substance
abuse, etc.
- Improve health, fitness, and mental well-being
- Inspire, educate and raise up a new generation of ocean guardians
and eco-warriors.
- Help youth to successfully transition into responsible, independent, productive, healthy and stable adults.
- Bring about lasting societal change