“I came for three months.
I am still here 16+ years later.”

What still sticks with me from my first time in South Africa in 2010? Kids from a primary school running towards me, jumping on me. I remember dancing, laughing, singing and playing hockey together. We didn’t speak the same language and probably didn’t understand each other particularly well. But there was this incredible joy in simply moving, playing and being together. And that feeling is a big part of why, 16 years later, I’m still part of this amazing project that changed me fundamentally from day one.



Hockey has opened doors for me all my life. I’ve played at a high level, coached kids and met incredible people around the world. Wherever I went, hockey gave me a team, a community and that powerful feeling: You’re welcome here. You belong. That’s what I want Kasi to create for others.



Today, I combine that passion with my professional background in People Development and Project Management. I’m good at bringing structure to complex ideas, connecting people and working with intercultural teams across countries and time zones – and, most importantly, turning ideas into something that actually happens. At Kasi, I work closely with our local partners, coordinate our projects, interview future Volunteers and support them throughout their journey.



And today, I’m also a mum. I know what it means to let your children go out into the world and trust other people to look out for them. So I want our Volunteers to be independent, adventurous and brave – but also to know that there are people behind them who care.



More than anything, I want young people to really experience the world: with curious minds, open eyes and open ears. Not just travel through another culture, but become part of it for a while. Play together. Learn from each other. Listen. Question what you thought you knew. And come home with a bigger view of the world.



Hockey is our way in. Everything that happens from there is what Kasi is really about.