"Relaunching Instinct in my hometown where I started it and incorporating revenue from every sale to empower underprivileged students is a dream come true. Business can solve big social problems but if I can just help with one small problem, the life trajectory of a student, then my mission will be fulfilled."
Meet The Team
“Everyone is perfect for their purpose."
Meet The Team
Our Crew
Get to know our incredible team, a group of dedicated individuals who wear many hats and share a deep passion for our children and creating positive change in our communities.
Founding Director
Nigel Savel
A fun-loving coffee connoisseur with a sweet tooth, Nigel lives and breathes 9Miles
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Co-Founder & Head: Sustainability
Sher’Neil Savel
Our project matriarch talks and moves at a mile-a-minute and has an infectious love for life!
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Fundraising & Communication
Carmen Davids
With over 20 years experience in a corporate environment, Carmen raises the average age of the team and routinely bursts our bubble with her insane attention to detail.
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Programmes Manager
Danielle Paulsen
Community & Food Programmes Manager
Carmen Everts
Fundraising & Events | Special Projects
Pearle Jenneker
Head surf coach & Surfboard technician
Faieq Samodein
Surf coach & Surf shop
Marcheleno Anthony
Surf coach & Facilitator
Marlen Kampher
Surf coach & Facilitator
Jody Louw
Programme Facilitator
Marishka Talmakkies
Programmes Facilitator
Shanna Harris
Programmes facilitator
Juanay Van Reenen
Meet The Team
Nigel Savel
Founding Director
A fun-loving coffee connoisseur with a sweet tooth, Nigel lives and breathes 9Miles and is passionate about creating agents of change amongst our youth. He can have you howling with laughter at one of his impromptu guitar ditties or dry jokes, or tearing up during one of his rousing motivational speeches.
Meet The Team
Sher’Neil Savel
Co-Founder & Head: Sustainability
Our project matriarch talks and moves at a mile-a-minute and has an infectious love for life! Her unfailing energy and passion for community development and her sharp mind and business acumen keep us inspired and energised and she has the biggest heart to match the huge personality!
Meet The Team
Carmen Davids
Fundraising & Communication
With over 20 years experience in a corporate environment, Carmen raises the average age of the team and routinely bursts our bubble with her insane attention to detail, but her passion for the organisation from (almost) day one, combined with her love for the kids and community development culminated when she went from long-term volunteer to staff member. In her free time she also works in the music industry and loves the arts, trying out new restaurants, and reading.
Meet The Team
Our Board Members
The purpose of a board is to provide strategic direction, financial and compliance oversight and to create ambassadors for the organisation; and we are proud of the calibre of people who have chosen to walk this journey with us.
Chairperson
Nigel Savel
An accomplished events and marketing professional.
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Treasurer
Andrew Stewart
An investment analyst.
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Secretary
Karen Sedres
The Financial Director.
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Fundraising
Saveetha Matthews
Experience in banking, fundraising, donor relations and investments.
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Branding
Reagan O’Malley
The man behind our visual branding.
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Education
Meagan Stanbul
An educator, mentor, and youth leader.
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Meet The Team
Nigel Savel
Chairperson
An accomplished events and marketing professional who pursued his passion to create a safer community for at-risk youth in Strandfontein by founding the 9Miles Project.
Nigel was the Grand Prize Winner of the Elizabeth Arden “Make a Visible Difference Award” in 2015; and one of ten recipients of the City of Cape Town’s Civic Award in 2017. 9Miles Project was also one of three nominees in the “Recreation Body of the Year” category at the South African Sports Awards in 2017.
In addition, Nigel also serves on the City of Cape Town’s Ward Youth Committee in order to shape youth policy and best serve the interests of the community and ward and was one of 46 South Africans awarded one of 700 places (from 37 000 applicants) on the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship program.
Meet The Team
Andrew Stewart
Treasurer
An investment analyst with a strong background in Accounting, Tax, and Treasury, Andrew is particularly passionate about financial literacy and education, as well as risk management and auditing.
Meet The Team
Karen Sedres
Secretary
The Financial Director at a multinational aviation company, Karen is completing her Bcom in Accounting and has a strong background in financial management. She is a family-oriented business woman with a passion for human resources and people which makes her perfect for her role as Board Secretary.
Meet The Team
Saveetha Matthews
Fundraising
With 16 years of corporate and nonprofit experience in banking, fundraising, donor relations and investments, Saveetha is a great asset to our fundraising team and addition to our board.
Meet The Team
Reagan O’Malley
Branding
The man behind our visual branding and logos, creator of Kepi apparel, and head of the Branding portfolio on our board, Reagan is also a freelance graphic designer with a demonstrated history of working in the Television Broadcast and Advertising industries. He is skilled in Art Direction, Logo Design, Marketing Strategy, Adobe Suite, and Brand Development. He is a strong marketing professional with a Diploma focused in Brand Communication Management from Vega School of Brand Communication as well as National Diploma in Graphic Design.
Meet The Team
Meagan Stanbul
Education
With 10 years’ experience as an educator, mentor, and youth leader (not to mention many years of volunteering at 9Miles) Meagan is a valued addition to our educational portfolio which shapes our literacy and academic support programmes.
Meet the team
Our Volunteers
Our amazing ambassadors and volunteers are an extension of our team. They offer an extra pair of hands during special events or projects, and create goodwill and awareness for our programmes.
Goodwill Ambassador
Matt Bromley
We are very proud of our association with intrepid Big Wave Surfer.
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Volunteer and Social Ambassador
Carvalho Marengi
Volunteer
Dominik Hochhausler
Volunteer and Girls' Surf Coach
Taryn Swales
Volunteer Surf Coach
Chad Smith
Volunteer
Danica Le Fleur
Meet The Team
Matt Bromley
Goodwill Ambassador
We are very proud of our association with intrepid Big Wave Surfer, Matt Bromley, over the past three years and are thrilled to have him as our official goodwill ambassador since he embodies the values and ethos of our organisation.
More About 9Miles
We create community-centric programmes, understanding that changing a child’s life involves uplifting their family and community. Our holistic approach brings positive impact at every level.
Shaun Tomson
Founder of Instinct
"In the words of Nelson Mandela - May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. 9Miles has gone above and beyond the distance to provide the children in their care with hope and inspiration so that the choices they make are different to the circumstances they currently live in."
"I want to give a shout-out to the 9Miles Project team. My friends and I had a surf lesson on Saturday morning. My friends enjoyed themselves and want to have another lesson because it was so much fun. I was impressed by the professionalism of the team and the affordability. Feel free to reach out to 9Miles Project if you want to join their surf club every second Saturday or you can arrange for you and your friends/family to do it together.
Well done guys for going the distance!"
"I've worked with many organisations over the years and personally, my experience is that 9Miles Project is one of the most professional, world-class, holistic NGOs that I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with."
"I have not encountered a charity that can do so much with so little, and with so much energy, no nonsense, kindness and authenticity"
"Really was amazing to see the respect and the confidence that the Project children exude... I have no doubt that these young lives will grow to be real role models and pillars of strength in their respective communities... Well done 9Miles Project for providing the platform for these young people to rise above their circumstances... And even more well done to the children of the Project for their willingness to become all that they believe themselves to be... Bravo Zulu to you all!"
“Nigel Savel is one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He sees the very best in people and is therefore always extremely encouraging and motivating. Every interaction he has with people, regardless of who they are, leaves them inspired and uplifted. It is his absolute gift! I work with Gr 7 learners from under-resourced schools and Nigel has come to speak to them about their purpose. I can see a visible change in the kids after his talks as it hits home to them that they are here for a reason, that they are loved and that they add value. He really gets them to believe that regardless of their circumstance, there is hope.”
"9Miles Project is doing life changing work that is vital to the future of not only the youth involved but also South Africa as a whole. Thank you to the whole team for doing everything that you do."
"Just to know where to give responsibly is a really key thing for me... to know a guy like Nigel is actually doing the work in a community where he lives just down the road...it's just so inspiring for one, but secondly, you know where your donations are going and that for me is key. There's a lot of things happening out in the world and South Africa, and you you don't quite know where your stuff goes...but here you are reassured that 9Miles is giving to the people who really need it most."
