The Bambisanani Partnership: A Global Initiative Activating Faith and Sport

The Bambisanani Partnership: A Global Initiative Activating Faith and Sport Partnership is a United Kingdom-based charity that originated as a sports-based partnership between St. Mary’s Catholic High School in the UK, and Mnyakanya High School in rural KwaZulu- Natal (KZN), South Africa, in 2006. Inspired by papal teaching about sport, this article explores the ways in which this particular program has been successful in providing opportunities to live out the Catholic faith through sports participation. The partnership, which remains based at St. Mary’s School and is run entirely by volunteers, operates in the Nkandla region of South Africa, which is one of most remote and deprived parts of the country. The partnership uses the power of sport as a catalyst to promote education, health, global citizenship and leadership. Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching (CST), Lasallian education, and the African belief in Ubuntu, the initiative continues to expand and now involves more than 60 schools, colleges and universities in both the UK and South Africa who are committed to “working hand in hand” (as taken from the Zulu word, ‘Bambisanani’). This paper provides an overview of the origins and purpose of this partnership, specific sports-based collaborative learning opportunities offered to young people in both countries (like sports festivals, leadership through sport, and cycling initiatives), and an invitation to Catholic schools to live out Catholic Social Teaching through sport, as inspired by the work of Pope Francis and the Vatican’s global “Sport for All” Summit.