In the spirit of Women’s Month and for our love of supporting incredibly talented, inspiring young women to be the best they can be, we thought we’d share Shaiyene’s humble request. She needs approximately R30 000 to R35 000 to make her chance to be number one in the world a reality, as reported by SABC News.
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Enduring in one of the most dangerous communities in Cape Town riddled with drugs and gang violence, a 9-year-old Shaiyene found solace and passion in billiards and has been dominating ever since. At the tender age of 12, she had represented Western Province ten times. In 2018, she represented South Africa in Russia for a 9 ball under 21 Championship and was ranked number one in South Africa.
Throughout her billiards career she is amassing a veritable collection of accolades and trophies for her skills on the pool table. Now she has been selected to represent South Africa at the Blackball International Championship to be held in Tangier, Morocco, from 8 October to 15 October 2022.
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Not only is she a rising star in the billiards department, she is now a second-year Social Work student at Stellenbosch University with the help of a bursary.
She expressed on her BackaBuddy campaign that having an intimate understanding of the urgent need to address the many socioeconomic challenges present in her community is what drives her, knowing the positive difference she will be able to make once she graduates.
“I want to show future generations from Lavender Hill that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Despite everything on my plate I was offered the role of secretary at Western Province Pool Union which I accepted so that I can be part of the change that makes it easier for future generations to play pool and enjoy the sport.”
Playing billiards, representing Western Province, while simultaneously persevering towards becoming a social worker that can better her community, this tenacious player is humbly appealing to any and all good Samaritans to help her achieve her goal of getting to the championship in Morocco to do what she does best, excelling in pool billiards.
The funds will be used to cover her passport and visa costs, tournament entry fees, return flights, kit, accommodation, and living expenses.
Shaiyene can be reached at [email protected] or click to donate on backabuddy.co.za.
Also read:
Team South Africa snags a few more medals at the Commonwealth Games
Picture: Facebook