Suntory Sungoliath ace Cheslin Kolbe and his wife Layla Kolbe have announced the launch of the Cheslin Kolbe Foundation.
Kolbe is one of the rugby’s biggest stars and is a national treasure in his homeland as one of South Africa’s most successful and popular players to grace the game.
Springboks speedster Kolbe, 30, now plans to use his status and influence to help change the lives of people in his local community near Cape Town.
The Champions Cup, Challenge Cup, Rugby Championship and double World Cup winner said: “A very proud day for Layla and me as we officially launch the Cheslin Kolbe Foundation.
“This has been a goal of ours for years, so it is extremely exciting to see it come to life and allow us to give back to communities across South Africa.
Layla Kolbe said: “May god guide us every step of the way and bless this journey for us and all who will be involved and all who will be impacted.”
The foundation has partnered with sports agency Moonsport to develop its logo and brand.
South African superstar Kolbe, who has been working on the project during the season in Japan, aims to provide every child with the opportunity to overcome the challenges they face on a daily basis and to equip them with the tools to achieve their full potential.
The foundation will focus on areas such as sports resources, gang violence awareness, supporting underprivileged communities and has plans to tackle challenges around food security and water and sanitation.
Cape Town native Kolbe, whose one of the rugby’s most in-demand stars, is currently in his homeland as part of Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad to play Ireland in their two-Test series over the next fortnight.
Kolbe, who made 11 League One appearances this season, is available after missing the win over Wales a week ago due to injury.
Suntory finished the season on a relative high after defeating Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk’s Yokohama Canon Eagles 40-33 in the third-place play-off at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in May.
Kolbe follows in the footsteps of his former Suntory teammate Hendrik Tui - in launching a grassroots project - after the former Japan international recently launched an inclusivity project to enable children with learning disabilities to have more opportunities to participate in tag rugby.
Stay tuned to RugbyJP for further coverage of the Cheslin Kolbe foundation.
Click here to visit the Cheslin Kolbe foundation’s Instagram account
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