The Sky Is The Limit
Nelisiwe, South Africa
Made For More aims to include, empower and equip people with disabilities through sport, with a mission to break the stigma of those living physical, intellectual and social disabilities. Their programme focuses specifically on inclusion and using sport as a transformational tool for persons with disabilities. Nelisiwe is part of the Made For More Para Surfing programme, a highly competitive training session for elite athletes wanting to make the South African Para Surfing Team.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your sports journey up until now?
My name is Nelisiwe, AKA Sunshine. I am from Pietermaritzburg, but currently living in Durban. I got involved with Made For More (M4M) while I was still in school. Julia, the Director of M4M, used to do bible studies with us. I started surfing after school in 2018. I have always had a love for water. I never thought surfing was possible until M4M showed me otherwise.
When I first started I was scared, but the coaches and team made sure I felt safe until I was brave enough to ride a wave on my own. Being part of the South Africa Adaptive Surfing Championships for the first time was exciting. I felt a great rush and energy and the experience was amazing.
What did you try to capture with the photos? Was there a wider meaning?
The photos were taken during surfing events. I showed our coaches, volunteers, surfers and myself. Most of the people have become much better at surfing since classes started.
I tried to capture beautiful moments where everyone was learning and having fun, everyone together and having a good time.
There is one photo of me being pushed back into the water. You can see that the people helping me back in the water enjoy seeing us catching waves and they are always alert to catch us when we fall.
What role does surfing play in your community and South African society? Is surfing an inclusive sport that anyone can do?
Surfing shows people in the community that if you believe in yourself then anything is possible, because people are always shocked when I mention that I do surfing.
What impact has the Made For More program had on you and your community?
Made For More not only run surfing classes, but they also helped with food parcels during the pandemic. They do bible studies and have fun days for people in the community to meet and hang out.
What does surfing mean to you?
Surfing has taught me that I am capable of so much more than I thought. I am more than enough. The sky is the limit. I plan to continue pushing myself until I make it to the South Africa surfing team.
What do you think the future looks like for sport in your community and country? What do you want to change? How would you improve gender equality?
The future looks promising. I want to make people more interested in sport and make sure sport is inclusive for everyone. I feel like there are few opportunities in my community for women and girls to take part in sports in South Africa and this needs to change.
