Kevin Carroll
Changemakers Featured Commentator
Sport for a Better World Competition
A BIG Opportunity
Pierre and Steffi, I think you have a big opportunity in your undertaking to create opportunities for young people in Kenya. Are you learning from other global organizations that have similar missions regarding disabled and disadvantaged youth? By forming alliances with others, you can make your organization even stronger. Gleaning information from others could be a great catalyst for your work.
How will you create sustainable programs? Your intention and direction are sound but you still need to look at how you will address the challenges you face with government officials and other gatekeepers. How will you get them to believe in your efforts?
Congratulations on your initial work and stay focused and strong as you continue with the work still to be done.
We absolutely agree with you in that forming alliances makes an organization or project even stronger. Therefore we are collaborating with Special Olympics Kenya, Kenya National Paralympic Committee, Handicap International, Ministry of Sport and Ministry of education and we are in contact with some other organizations to discuss possible ways of cooperating (among others UNICEF, Motivation trust, and Lilianne Fonds). Besides we keep on discussing with other organizations (among others The Kids League in Uganda, The Magic Bus in India and some other organizations that entered a project in this competition) about their goals, objectives, way of working, action plans etc.
Other organizations that tried to set up a project for persons with disabilities faced problems including lack of organization, knowledge, transportation, equipment and other resources, and negative attitudes (Morisbak et al., 2006). MYSA will try to avoid these problems and create a sustainable program by:
- working with the effective network of partners and volunteers
- offering courses in ‘sport for persons with disabilities’ to the volunteers
- organizing community meetings to raise awareness
- raising fund for transportation, equipment and the renovation of an indoor hall
- reliable project monitoring and evaluation.
The project proposal is based on results of previous researches. Partly because of that the Ministries of Sport and Education reacted with satisfaction on the proposal and will actively support the project when it is running successfully. In order to convince them about successful effects, we will use reliable monitoring and evaluation systems to measures the effects of the project. We do understand that not everyone in the Ministries will be optimistic about the project but our contact persons are. However we keep in mind that we will have to face difficulties while dealing with the government.
Thank you for the supporting comment.
With kind regards,
Steffi and Pierre
University of Paris
Dear Steffi and Pierre,
First of all I would like to congratulate you guys on this great project. Its a shame that I am appearing on this page so late.
Although the use of sport as a tool to promote physical activity is nothing new as we have been watching this for so many years now, YET keeping in view the target population of the project and all the potential hardships you might encounter, it is a project WORTH praising.
Fight for equal rights through the use of sport is an added merit of this programme.
As a former classmate of you guys, I know your enthusiam about sport and your great potential as project planners. The success of this venture will not be a surprise and I am pretty sure that your dreams will be a reality very soon.
Considering your dedication towards this noble and humane plan, there would be no stopping for the change to be made. THE CHANGE IS BOUND TO HAPPEN.
Hats off to Pierre and Steffi. Wish you the very best.
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Tahir Masood
University of Jyväskylä,
Jyväskylä, Finland.
We are very pleased to hear from you and thank you very much for your commment. We agree with you that sports have been used as tool in lots of project aiming to promote physical activity. However, only few sports projects in developping countries have targeted to reach people with disabilities. Although there is a growing interest in the field of sport and development for people with disabilities, these people remain the most underprivileged.
We are flatted with all your compliments. Our passion in adapted sports and our belief in the equal rights for people with disabilities are our main motivation to overcome all the barriers we meet in the setting-up of this new project.
Besides, you are explaining in your comment that our dreams will be reality soon. In this case we would rather say that we really hope that the dreams of people with disabilities living in the slums of Nairobi will be reality soon.
Thank you very much again Tahir for this supporting comment. Your support and the support that we receive from all the other people contributes to the success of this project.
Hats off to all the people supporting us.
Great to hear from you and thank you for your positive reaction. Without knowing you have already helped us because people like you inspire us to do what we are doing. Your will and motivation to show others that despite a disability you can fully participate in the society and enjoy the same things as able-bodied, can be an example for many other people. While sitting in a wheelchair you make people clear that you are able to do things they wouldn't even imagine (like coaching sports that you can't do yourself anymore). So, thank you for your help!
Dear changemakers,
after the (over)flow of comments and compliments, I still would like to add my appreciation and respect to the two of you. As active member of Amnesty International we have talked about Mysa in our last conference, everyone was enthousiastic about the organisation and especially your project! I think I can speak for everyone who has hope for a better, healther, more committed world that your project makes people smile and intensifies the feeling that individuals can make a difference. Thank you first of all for that strength. I am very curious about some things that must have crossed your mind while thinking this project over. Can you explain to me what the role of education at schools is for you program? I am convinced of the idea that with good schooling every society upgrades her changes for a solid base. Shouldn't the first staps be: every disabled child has to have acces to proper education? (As you know, the milenniumgoals include also the strive for education for alle childen at 2015) What is actually the percentage childen (approximately) that enjoys education and how many of them are disabled?
Your plan is to work with special schools, is your focus on putting effort to get mainly the childen informed about disabled persons or the teachers? I hope you can give me some clarity about this issues I was wandering about. Then I have still one thing I couldn't make clear out of your story: are you working together with institutions/persons who give specific medical aid, I presume there is also a shortcoming in that segment. Can you maybe co-operate with doctors or fysiotherapist from Medecins sans Frontieres of is this going to far? Anyway, I am very interested in your project and progressions, I would like to keep informed. For now wishing you all the luck, power, efficiency, strenght and love which is needed.
Dear regards
Loes Berkhout
University of Utrecht/Cultural Anthropology
The Netherlands
Thank you for your interesting comments. It’s great to hear that Amnesty International appreciates the work MYSA is doing. We would be very happy if we, as you say, can make people smiling. Regardless disability, gender, cultural background, religion, etc. everyone has the right to enjoy and to smile.
Although we agree with you that proper education is very important, we are not sure if attending school needs to be a requirement for attending sport activities. According to the United Nations (2007), sport programs for people with disabilities are a cost-effective and highly therapeutic method of rehabilitation. Sport has the power to empower the individual (with disabilities), increase self-confidence and self-esteem, promote peer interaction, social relationships and teamwork and improve quality of life (Valkova et al., 2006; Strohkendl, 1995; Ogi,2007; Van den Brule; 2007). In other words, sport can teach children important life-skills which they won’t learn in school. This doesn’t mean that we don’t try to involve them in school (in fact, we do try to link the hidden kids with the special schools), but in our view the millennium education goal doesn’t need to be met before involving children in sports.
We can’t give you accurate date about the amount of children going to school since Kenyan studies on that topic are lacking or outdated. However we do know that in 1998, approximately 70 % of children aged 5-17 12 attended school (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2003). As far as we know, no study exiss about the amount of schooling children with disabilities.
We indeed intend to work together with organizations specialised in medical help. In order to make it possible to involve the children with severe disabilities in the project, we plan to make them more mobile. In trying to reach this goal we are in contact with different organizations such as Motivation Charitable Trust, and Liliane Fonds.
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask us.
Thank you for this positive comment. We are also impressed by the karate lessons you are doing with people with mental disabilities. As we have coached atlhetes with mental disabilties in different sports we recognize the difficulties in keeping their attention. However, by ensuring varation in the tasks, we think that you are using a good strategy to keep them enjoying your lessons. Good job!
I really appreciate that what you are doing. There is an International organisation called Brothers of Charity Ireland doing the same thing like you people. Try to contact them onece and tell your opinion may be they will help you in raising funds. here is the website www.brothersofcharity.ie.
Thank you very much for your comment and your advise. We have had a look to the website of Brothers of Charity and are really pleased to read about their work. As we understand, a small part of their work is to offer sports programmes and Special Olympic participation to those people with mental disabilities who are interested in this area. Since they have a congregation in Nairobi, we will absolutely contact them to find out more about their way of working and maybe discuss possibilities of collaboration.
There's some fantastic discussion about your project and it sounds like you are well on your way to establishing a quality development project for people with a disability in Kenya.
Since you both have not been in Kenya for such a long time, I'm interested to know how you are finding communication channels whilst setting up your initiative. I imagine that internet is not so widely available in the slum areas that you have chosen to target.
Have you used interpreters to talk with MYSA staff and volunteers and also local communities and individuals? Have you come across any barriers and obstacles in your communication? Or are there some strategies you are thinking of introducing to improve communication between yourselves and local stakeholders?
I wish you all the best with the project and look forward to hearing your progress along the way.
It's great that you found some time to read our entry and to ask these interesting questions.
First of all, we want to make clear that English is an official language in Kenya. From primary school on, children are thought in English, so most of the people speak this language besides Swahili. However, some people, especially those with disabilities, haven't attend school. In communicating with them, the MYSA project leader would function as the interpreter to translate English into Swahili and vice versa. So, while being in Kenya we haven’t really had communication problems.
Since we are back in Europe (for 2.5 months) you are right that the communication is more difficult. Luckily, internet is available on the MYSA headquarters (at least when there is no power cut off…). Therefore, we make skype appointments (calling for free using the computer) each Monday to discuss what we are going to do that week (writing it down in the action plan), and each Friday to discuss what we have done that week. In between we send emails if we need to share important news. By doing so we keep each other updated and prepare important meetings.
If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Disabilities' persones have already a difficult life in our country so we can imagine that's more difficult for Kenyans. We hope thant we could could help you with our project. Even it's a small thing, we will make it with a lot of pleasure.
Thanks for your help and good luck.
Léa and elodie
Thank you very much for your reaction and even more for your wonderful initiative. We really appriciate it that you want to organise a concert and an exposition to raise fund for our project. We have no doubt that you will help us a lot by doing so!
For people who are interested in this project, a new article has been published on the website of the International Platform on Sport and Development. The full version of the project proposal can also be downloaded from here. The link is:
http://www.sportanddev.org/en/news/mysa-to-launch-a-new-project-focusing-on-children-with-disabilities.htm
I understand that some people find this project very optimistic and wonder if it wouldn’t be more necessary to focus on basic needs first. I agree on the fact that it is important to focus attention on such needs, however it has been proven that sport is a very good tool in getting attention for major problems. More precisely: When a project that links sport with a certain problem (e.g. the lack of medical aid) is running well, it will get attention from a various group of people. People working in the medical sector can get attracted and willing to link up with the project (e.g. doctors or people donating wheelchairs). I was wondering if you intend to supply the children with (better) wheelchairs/crutches/prostheses etc.?
On the other hand I want to tell you that I find it very good that you also focus attention on children’s joy. I think that the importance of playing and learning, of having fun and being good in something, can’t be underestimated. I think the children will get self-confidence by getting positive attention (for a change) by your project and I hope there community will see that also these children are as important as children without disabilities!
I wish you a lot of succes with the project. I think it's special that two young students are willing to work so hard to get attention for this problem, help a lot of children and try to make this project a succes. I think a lot of young people wanted to do something good for others but never take the step to actually do it! Good job!
Thank you very much for your positive comment. To answer your question: Yes, we do intend to supply children with better wheelchairs/crutches/prostheses etc. Most of the children in the slums are lacking medical services and the mobility aids you are talking about. In order to make it possible to involve these children (mostly hidden in the houses) in the project, we plan to make them more mobile. In trying to reach this goal we are in contact with different organizations such as:
- Motivation Charitable Trust (they provide sports wheelchairs to developing countries and also have an entry in this competition that you might be interested in)
- Liliane Fonds (they help children with disabilities by funding surgeries, mobility aids etc.)
By partnering with them we hope to ensure the inclusion of children with severe disabilities who would otherwise stay in the houses.
Congratulations, both of you, Pierre and Steffi, on doing something that hopefully may help hundred of childrens with disabilities in Africa. I am very proud of what you did and what you're going to do, you're the guys who can make things change over there, that's a big challenge and I wish you'll get this on the right way.
So, I wish you good luck and perseverance for your ambitious project , please, let me know how your project is going on.
Looking forward to hearing some good from you...
Arnaud the french guy from Erasmus Mundus! ( still alive !!) ;)
Good to hear from you! It's great that you have so much confidence in us, maybe even too much... We won't be the ones making the change over there, the communities will absolutely do that themselves! We just hope to give them some assistance in doing so. If we succeed in that, we will be very happy.
I think you are doing a great job by trying to include the disabled Kenyans from the slums in sports. I think it is essential for their self-esteem that they can also participate in team sports, even though they are different from their contemporaries. It is my opinion that you have already contributed to their well-being just by showing them that you care and by drawing the world's attention to the problem of disabled children in slums and their lack of opportunities.
Furthermore, I believe this project can become a great succes, as you have contacted a number of committees and organizations which also see the potential of your project.
I understand that the path to what you have already reached wasn't always that easy. I greatly admire your motivation and persistence to improve the quality of life for at least a group of children that are less fortunate than children growing up in the US or Europe for example. I hope changemakers will also acknowledge this and help you to keep this project running.
I wish you the very best with the continuation of this important project.
We really appreciate your supporting reaction. It is absolutely true that we care about people with disabilities. However, to have an impact on their lives, local people need to care as well and make the project running.
Indeed, we did face and will continue facing barriers while implementing the project. But we and the people working with us are really motivated to overcome them.
Indeed this is a noble idea that for very many years people with disabilities have not been given the opportunity to gauge there competency in sports and community development activities in the slum. With this project I believe youth from one of the largest slum in Africa will enjoy recreation weeks and also partake in community work and music.
This Is a enormous idea and we hope the worth and capability of this marginalized group will be respected.
We really appreciate your supporting comment and agree with you when you are saying that persons with disabilities should have access to all activities. Sport used as a tool can contribute to the personal development of every individual therefore improve their participation in society (UN, 2007). We are sure that together we can make this project succeeding!
Wherever you are please note that I admire your energy levels. Should there be any help you need from me during your project stay in Kenya, and if I am in a position to help I will not hesitate. wonderful innovation!!
People with disabilities need to be reassured that they are valued.
Thank you very much for your positive comment. It's great that you offer help when needed. As the man with experience you can absolutely be very helpful. We will keep your offer in mind! Thanks again.
Boyle (1963) says sport permeates any number of levels of contemporary society, and it touches upon and deeply influences such disparate elements as status, race relations, business life, automotive design, clothing styles, and the concept of the hero, language, and ethical values.
I wish you all well and this is a noble gesture that requires the support of humanity. We have but pretended for too long in Africa and the time to act is now. All governments have signed declarations like 'sports for all and education for all' but nothing can be seen on the ground to prove their rhetoric. Let us shame them by putting our hands together and start showing the way and they shall follow.
Thank you for the inspiring comment. You are right in saying that governments do sign declarations concerning disability issues. Although many people are not aware of it, 2000-2009 is the African Decade of People with Disabilities. The Action Plan for this decade states, among others:
- Promotion of more efforts that encourage positive atitudes towards children, youth, women and adults with disabilities
- Implementation of measures to ensure their access to rehabilitation, education, training and employment, as well as to cultural and sports activities and access to the physical environment
However, as you mention, 'on the ground' not many changes can be observed. With this project, MYSA therefore hopes to give a good practical example in the process towards an inclusive society.
Good job guys: I'm very happy to see you both tackling such big issues!
There was one thought pressing in my mind whilst reading your proposal: If these kids are living in the slums of Nairobi, could it be that there are more important needs that must be met before exercise is taken up? For example, do they have the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing and water? What about shelter? And what about systems of health care? If they don’t have these, then why would they willingly take part in something like exercise? This argument is based upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (which is quite a western way of looking at things, I know), but it's one argument that might be addressed if you are competing for funding with other organizations that focus their efforts more upon basic human needs. Anyway, it's just a thought.
j
That is a useful thought. You are right in saying that funding agencies might point out this aspect against sports programs. However, the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport of UNESCO (1978) states that every human being has a fundamental right to sport which is essential for the full development of his personality. The freedom to develop physically and intellectually and develop moral powers through sport must be guaranteed both within the educational system and other aspect of social life. Moreover, Article 30 of the United Nations convention of rights of people with disabilities (2006) states the right of persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis in recreational, leisure and sporting activities.
Beside the main needs such food, water and health, the community still needs a social life and access to activities. Sport and physical activity empowers the individuals. Further, sports programs contribute to improve their health (e.g. cost-effective way of rehabilitation), education and employment skills (e.g. leadership) and opportunities (UN, 2007). Empowerment of the individual can open lots of doors in the personal development (e.g. employment) which might contribute to supplying their basic needs.
You are referring to the Maslow’s Hierarchy where sport is not the basis. However, sport can contribute to the access of these basic needs (by improving skills that contribute to personal development). Do you think we should prioritize a need above another one or trying to integrate all of them in a development strategy?
Saying that sport is more important would be wrong but sport in a cross-cutting development and poverty-reduction strategies is an efficient tool since its convening power and widespread popularity makes it an outstanding instrument for the development of communities (UN, 2007).
Thank you very much for the comment which points out a very important point and do not hesitate to contact us for further questions.
But, you've asked me a question that needs to be addressed: "Do you think we should prior[itize?] a right above another one or trying to integrate all of them in a development strategy?"
I dont think this is a question of "Rights" at all. Although I feel that kids should have the Right to play sport, they may not be in a position to take advantage of the Right due to a lack of fulfilment in their basic needs. So I'll go further and rephrase your last question as follows: " Do you think we should prioritize addressing some needs above others, or should we try to serve all needs in a development strategy?"
This is a tough question. I think that you should assess if the majority of kids are in a position to take advantage of their right to play sport. If there are currently enough kids then your project is timely: their basic needs have been met and they can play sport (wooohooo!! rock on!!!). But if you find that there aren't enough kids comming out to play sport then you must honestly look at what basic needs are not being met in the children's lives. Work at addressing these issues (which are likely large social issues), then in time your intervention will find a place.
Anyway, I'm no expert in development, in fact this is the first time I've considered it. I just hope this discussion will help out in some way.
Dear Jason,
In our view you are right in saying that sport won't be successful in all circumstances. In some situation (e.g. war) it might not be safe enough and you first need to ensure the safety of the environment t in which the children will play. However, we think that sport may also be a sort of assistance in meeting other needs. By bringing conflicting groups together within a sport team you might break existing barriers between them and increase safety. (Of course we know that this won’t happen in all cases and that sport can even increase violence if implementing in the wrong way)
To conclude, we think that sport can be part of an approach that addresses several needs. It can be used as a tool to raise awareness on several important issues (or main needs if you want to call it like that).
This is a very interesting discussion and we invite everyone interested to participate in to give their opinion and experience.
You mention that you will build capacity for your program by providing a course based on sports for persons with disabilities. Could you explain what this course entails and how you plan to spread the course? Will it be rolled out in schools?
First of all, thank you very much for your interest in the project. As we explained in one of the previous comments, capacity building is an important part of our project since knowledge about disability is lacking in the Eastlands of Nairobi. Therefore, MYSA intends to give its volunteers a course on disability issues as well as on adapted sport.
Each partners of the project will bring in their expertise in the course. Firstly, the course will focus on the general disability issues such as the rights of people with disabilities, inclusion and assisting techniques (e.g. guiding someone with visual impairment in a disability unfriendly environment). Secondly, sport for people with physical disabilities will be introduced to the volunteers in order to develop their coaching skills, leadership and specific knowledge in different sports. Besides, the course will cover coaching skills for people with intellectual disabilities. At last, inclusive approaches in the implementation of physical activities will be taught to the volunteers. For further details you can look at the answer given to Piet de Jong, since he asked similar questions.
In your comment, you are pointing out the transfer of knowledge to the communities and to the schools. To this end, MYSA is establishing a strong network with all the special schools since a part of the participants will come from those institutions. Physical Education teachers from each school will be invited to participate in the course in order to improve the quality of the adapted sports programs in the schools. Moreover, the volunteers will have the responsibility to organize and conduct the monthly community information meetings in which they will discuss different disability issues. By doing so, they will spread their knowledge in the community.
Herewith, we hope we have answered all you questions. If not, please let us know.
I wish you the best with this project, because physical activities have an enormous influence on the cognition of young and elderly people. With good physical activities their cognitive performances will increase, their quality of life will increase, and sport also has a positive effect on emotions. Therefore you will not only make the world better with your project, but most of all, you will make the life of all the participants better.
Karin Volkers, PhD
Human movement scientist
Clinical neuropsychology VU Amsterdam
Similar to you, we also believe in the enormous influence sport can have on people. It is interesting that you name the positive effect on cognition. Do you know if this effect can also be found in people with intellectual disabilities, or do you know studies related to this?
Despite the voluminous amount of research that has been published in the field of exercise science over the past decades, there remains a paucity of information on the activity patterns and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise in persons with disabilities. In an era when physical activity has grown to new heights in terms of its importance in promoting health and preventing disease, many questions pertaining to how it affects the lives of individuals with physical and mental disabilities remain unanswered (Rimmer et al., 1996: Research on physical activity and disability: an emerging national priority), especially because of a high diversity of disabilities.
It is known that within the eldely group, physical activity enhances cognitive function, and protects against the development of neurodegenerative diseases (Kramer 2007: Capitalizing on cortical plasticity: influence of physical activity on cognition and brain function). Physical activity is especially related to the frontal lobe, a region that mediates executive function and experiences accelerated age-related decline (Bixby 2007: The unique relation of physical activity to executive function in older men and women). Overall, exercise training increases fitness, physical function, cognitive function, and positive behavior in people with dementia and related cognitive impairments (Heyn et al. 2004: The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: A meta-analysis)
That is very interesting information. We know the research of Rimmel et al. (1996) and are aware of the lack in studies concerning (sport for people) with disabilities, especially those in developing countries. That is one of the reasons why we will conduct a research on the effectiveness of this sport project for people with disabilities.
For the evaluation of this project, we want to obtain information about physical activity level and quality of life of persons with disabilities living in the slums of Nairobi and the attitudes toward them. In order to find possible effects of the project, we will collect data at baseline level (at the beginning of the project) and at yearly intervals. In case you are interested in the results, we will be happy to keep you informed.
I would like to congratulate and compliment you with this great project you have described above. You have my deepest respect and sympathies for this.
As a project co-ordinator for the Spark Foundation, a foundation which sets the improvement of management, education and sport standards on schools in the rural areas of South Africa as a goal, we can emphasise that in several aspects sport can be seen as a learning school where attention is given to psychological, organisational, moral and physical aspects. Sport plays an important role and gives a positive impulse in the development of an individual. By adapting the opportunities and level in sport to the capabilities of a certain individual, self-respect, self-esteem and the respect for and confidence in other individuals is brought to a higher level. Also very primary values as a good health, self-efficacy and development both mentally and physically can be attributed to participation in sport. It contributes in obtaining an active lifestyle and in the conservation and quality of life itself.
In this aspect it is unthinkable that certain groups of people in the world (in your case, the disabled) are still denied and neglected from these opportunities. This situation creates a big challenge, not only for you two, but especially for the disabled people and other residents in your target country.
By spreading knowledge and raising awareness on this specific issue through persons whom people can identify with (both the disabled and the not disabled, both foreign and local), by including these persons (and other relevant third parties) in the organization of your project and by creating sporting opportunities for people who in that aspect were and still are neglected, I hope and believe that your project will succeed.
Not only by having an impact on the lives of these people on the short and long term, but hopefully also on the development of the country and its people as a whole in regard to this issue.
Wishing you all the best, success and luck in your project.
Roy Tjan
Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen
Project Co-ordinator Spark Foundation
Thank you for this interesting comment. There rest us nothing else than saying: we completely agree with you on the importance of sport. Regular physical activity, sports participation, and active recreation are essential behaviors for the prevention of disease, promotion of health, maintenance of functional independence and many positive psychological effects for persons with and without disabilities. However, population-based surveys have demonstrated that persons with disabilities are less likely to be physically active, compared to able-bodied persons. This is alarming since, as you point out and is described above, persons with disabilities experience many benefits from participating in regular physical activity. Therefore, we indeed hope to not only reach the participants, but indirectly the whole community in the slums of Nairobi and in the future communities in other parts of the country.
We are impressed by the goals of the Spark Foundation and are wondering what method you use to improve the sport standards on schools. It might be useful for you to check out other competition entries describing sport projects in South Africa (e.g. Hoops 4 Hope and Grassroot Soccer, Inc.) to look for possibilities in collaboration. And of course, your foundation can consider entering this competition with a project as well. We hope to hear from you in this competition.
Concerning your question, the Spark Foundation does not have a tight format with methods which are used to obtain the goals of the Foundation.
Carefully selected volunteers are trained and send to South Africa where they will come to work on a school that has asked for the help of the Foundation and that has been selected by the Foundation. These volunteers play a vital role in the realisation of the initiatives of the Foundation. Each volunteer is responsible for "his or her own" school and has a facilitating role. The volunteer works by example and does this in close harmony with the children and the people working at the school. The volunteer also keeps in close contact with the Spark Foundation (based in the Netherlands) and the Department of Education of South Africa where he or she reports his results to and discusses the progress made on the school. On basis of their observations they write a business plan (adapt a former business plan) together with the management team of the school and discuss this with the Spark Foundation and the Department of Education. When all the parties are in agreement they start with the implementation. As described in my earlier comment the standards we try to improve are broad (management, education, sport, social issues). This means the work done is broad; getting sponsors, materials (books, sporting equipment etc), facilities (electricity, ‘mobile’-classrooms etc.) for the school, giving education (in and out of the class, on and off the field), trying to carefully break through barriers (HIV/AIDS, corporal punishment, the role of the women etc.), facilitating the management and trying to create a clear management structure and organizing activities/workshops by third parties for the children (excursions, field trips, career guidance, HIV/AIDS- education etc.). The most important thing is that everything is done together! with the people working at the school and in close harmony with them, the Spark Foundation, the Department of Education and the community. The volunteer has to be the Spark, not the fire itself!
In case of improving the standards for sport. In most of our cases there isn’t any physical education on the school, and resources are scarce. We try to convince the management of the importance of sport for children (but the management has to make the choice by itself) and give aid in trying to get a physical educator (in most cases get somebody within the staff trained) and to fit physical education inside the curriculum. Furthermore we try to get sporting equipment (being creative brings you a long way) and try to facilitate in making lesson plans and giving education on the field. Also we organize tournaments against other schools and encourage and facilitate the management in organizing a tournament or enrolling in a tournament by itself.
In all cases the Spark Foundation hopes to make a little step back every year and leaves the school when the school self has showed it can sustain itself in management, education and sport.
I hope I have clearly answered your question. Of course if you have any further questions I will be happy to answer them for you.
Roy Tjan
Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen
Project Co-ordinator Spark Foundation
We are glad to hear from you again and are very interested in the work of the Spark Foundation. We can imagine that setting-up sport in some schools can be a real challenge. Amusa & Toriola (2005) found many differences, among others in facilities and educated physical educators, between the “white” and “black” schools, in post-apartheid South Africa. Therefore, foundations like the Spark Foundation should continue their work to improve this situation.
One of the important things you pointed out in your reply was that the Spark Foundation was doing the work together with the communities. And, indeed, that is a good strategy since the communities themselves should be responsible of the project. You explained in your comment the withdrawal strategy of the volunteers to let the communities managing the projects. Sustainability has always been a big issue in the area of developmental work. This issue is really interesting to discuss for the reason that it is something that every project responsible (especially in the case that the initiators are coming from overseas) should think about. Autonomy of the communities is really important! When a project fails after the initiators leave, we can wonder: Is it the fault of the community who is not able to carry out the project or is it the wrong sustainability strategy of the organization?
We are really impressed by the large panel of issues that the Spark Foundation addresses. At this end, we were wondering if volunteers are trained in all kind of issues (HIV/AIDS, Sport, other subjects) or in one specific domain? Another point that we would like to know is about people with disabilities: Is there any inclusion strategy that the Spark Foundation is using to promote inclusive society? This point is really interesting for us since inclusion takes a big place in our project .
We hope that you will find some time to answer our question and thank you for taking part actively in the discussion on our entry.
I am really impressed by the initiative to set up your project for people with disabilities. As KNVB instructor of many courses for football coaches, given in different African countries like Burkina Faso, Zambia and Kenya, I have experienced that people with disablilities are mostly excluded from sports and cultural activities. In your project you intend to increase the competency of the volunteers to deal with all the complicated factors. Could you please tell me something about the content of the course to achieve the required competency of the volunteers? Will there only be a basic course or do you plan to organize advanced courses as well?
Piet de Jong,
KNVB instructor
Thank you for your comment and good questions. Indeed, capacity building is an important aspect in the project since knowledge in the area of disability is lacking in the slums of Nairobi. Therefore, one of MYSA's aims is to educate the volunteers on disability issues in general and sport for people with disabilities in particular.
The course for volunteers will be organized with the project partners who will each contribute workshops within their area. More specific, one part of the course will deal with general disability issues such as the rights of people with disabilities, inclusion and assisting techniques (e.g. transfers from and to a wheelchair). Another part will focus on sports for people with physical disabilities, rules and coaching skills. A third part covers coaching skills in sports for people with intellectual disabilities. At last, the course participants will be taught on inclusive activities.
The course will exist of theoretical and practical sessions. In the practical session the volunteers will experience different sports themselves and will bring theory in practice during the coaching of a group of children with various disabilities.
The duration of the course doesn’t allow going in depth into theories. The course will therefore focus on basic knowledge that will enable the volunteers to coach during the recreation days. After the volunteers have had some practical experience during the recreation days, we will organize information days throughout the year to teach more details and discuss possible questions. At the beginning of the second year a new basic course will be organized for new volunteers and an advanced course for volunteers that have passed the basic course in the first year. In doing so, we hope to increase the available knowledge on disability issues in the slums of Nairobi.
Since you seem to be an experienced coach instructor, we would like to hear your opinion on the content and teaching method described above. Dou you have any advises? We are looking forward to hear from you.
Hi Pierre and Steffi,
I commend your commitment to the disadvantaged communities of Nairobi and to help those who face even more challenges through their physical and mental hurdles. Unfortunately, we see so many people faced with extreme life disabliities in impovrished places every day with no one to turn to for help. And they seem to be up against even more with the phenomena of "the pegony of the oppressed" which turns people against the weakest in their society. Good luck in building this great program and please feel free to contact us to see if we can assist from afar with our curriculum or experience.
Best, Mark
Mark Crandall
Hoops 4 Hope
hoops4hope@mac.com
ehsc@mac.com
www.hoopsafrica.org
Thank you for your motivating comment. The situation of people with disabilities we have observed in the slums of Nairobi is similar to your description. Comparable to Western countries, there is a widespread tendency to stigmatize and discriminate people with disabilities. Myths, legends, scriptures and folklores are all part of the cultural belief system that shapes such attitudes which in turn causes major barriers in improving life conditions of people with disabilities. However, many researchers suggest that education about, and experience with people with a mental and/or physical disability, positively affect the attitudes of persons toward individuals with disabilities (Thompson et al., 2003, Oermann & Lindgren, 1995, Biordi & Oermann, 1993). Even brief information about the abilities of persons with disabilities can result in more positive attitudes (McDonald & McIntyre, 1999, Lindgren & Oermann, 1993). Therefore, participating or coaching in the weekly recreation days, courses and information meetings on disability issues are promising manners of changing attitudes of community members.
We appreciate your support and the offer to help us when needed. We would be happy to discuss further about the possibilities of cooperation. Good luck for your project.
I just wanted to wish you two the best for your innovative project! Seems like it is really well worked out and overthought. Hope the implementation is rather soon and the idea will be established. So far is known to me you have created a broad and useful network to make the best out of it. Again, good luck! Keep up the good work.
Kind regards,
Marjolein Ros
University of Groningen.
Thank you very much for the possitive reaction. In our view we have indeed created a very good network in order to implement the project. Nevertheless, other organizations that want to partner, advice or support are always welcome.
The project you exposed here seems to me a great initiative to contribute to the improvement of the situation of people with disabilities in developing countries like Kenya. However, I am a bit concerned about the role of the volunteers. I would like to ask you to define more clearly the role of your volunteers. As they are one of the main actors of this project, what strategy do you use in order to involve them fully in the project and keep up their motivation?
Congratulations again for your innovative idea and I am looking forward to hear your answers.
Kevin Carroll
Changemakers Featured Commentator
Sport for a Better World Competition
A BIG Opportunity
Pierre and Steffi, I think you have a big opportunity in your undertaking to create opportunities for young people in Kenya. Are you learning from other global organizations that have similar missions regarding disabled and disadvantaged youth? By forming alliances with others, you can make your organization even stronger. Gleaning information from others could be a great catalyst for your work.
How will you create sustainable programs? Your intention and direction are sound but you still need to look at how you will address the challenges you face with government officials and other gatekeepers. How will you get them to believe in your efforts?
Congratulations on your initial work and stay focused and strong as you continue with the work still to be done.
Dear Mr. Caroll,
We absolutely agree with you in that forming alliances makes an organization or project even stronger. Therefore we are collaborating with Special Olympics Kenya, Kenya National Paralympic Committee, Handicap International, Ministry of Sport and Ministry of education and we are in contact with some other organizations to discuss possible ways of cooperating (among others UNICEF, Motivation trust, and Lilianne Fonds). Besides we keep on discussing with other organizations (among others The Kids League in Uganda, The Magic Bus in India and some other organizations that entered a project in this competition) about their goals, objectives, way of working, action plans etc.
Other organizations that tried to set up a project for persons with disabilities faced problems including lack of organization, knowledge, transportation, equipment and other resources, and negative attitudes (Morisbak et al., 2006). MYSA will try to avoid these problems and create a sustainable program by:
- working with the effective network of partners and volunteers
- offering courses in ‘sport for persons with disabilities’ to the volunteers
- organizing community meetings to raise awareness
- raising fund for transportation, equipment and the renovation of an indoor hall
- reliable project monitoring and evaluation.
The project proposal is based on results of previous researches. Partly because of that the Ministries of Sport and Education reacted with satisfaction on the proposal and will actively support the project when it is running successfully. In order to convince them about successful effects, we will use reliable monitoring and evaluation systems to measures the effects of the project. We do understand that not everyone in the Ministries will be optimistic about the project but our contact persons are. However we keep in mind that we will have to face difficulties while dealing with the government.
Thank you for the supporting comment.
With kind regards,
Steffi and Pierre
University of Paris
Dear Steffi and Pierre,
First of all I would like to congratulate you guys on this great project. Its a shame that I am appearing on this page so late.
Although the use of sport as a tool to promote physical activity is nothing new as we have been watching this for so many years now, YET keeping in view the target population of the project and all the potential hardships you might encounter, it is a project WORTH praising.
Fight for equal rights through the use of sport is an added merit of this programme.
As a former classmate of you guys, I know your enthusiam about sport and your great potential as project planners. The success of this venture will not be a surprise and I am pretty sure that your dreams will be a reality very soon.
Considering your dedication towards this noble and humane plan, there would be no stopping for the change to be made. THE CHANGE IS BOUND TO HAPPEN.
Hats off to Pierre and Steffi. Wish you the very best.
"Pain is temporary, Pride is forever"
Tahir Masood
University of Jyväskylä,
Jyväskylä, Finland.
Dear Tahir,
We are very pleased to hear from you and thank you very much for your commment. We agree with you that sports have been used as tool in lots of project aiming to promote physical activity. However, only few sports projects in developping countries have targeted to reach people with disabilities. Although there is a growing interest in the field of sport and development for people with disabilities, these people remain the most underprivileged.
We are flatted with all your compliments. Our passion in adapted sports and our belief in the equal rights for people with disabilities are our main motivation to overcome all the barriers we meet in the setting-up of this new project.
Besides, you are explaining in your comment that our dreams will be reality soon. In this case we would rather say that we really hope that the dreams of people with disabilities living in the slums of Nairobi will be reality soon.
Thank you very much again Tahir for this supporting comment. Your support and the support that we receive from all the other people contributes to the success of this project.
Hats off to all the people supporting us.
Steffi and Pierre
University of Paris
I must congratulate with an ambisious and great project. think your plans and goals are very humane. I wish I could help you.
Hi KK!
Great to hear from you and thank you for your positive reaction. Without knowing you have already helped us because people like you inspire us to do what we are doing. Your will and motivation to show others that despite a disability you can fully participate in the society and enjoy the same things as able-bodied, can be an example for many other people. While sitting in a wheelchair you make people clear that you are able to do things they wouldn't even imagine (like coaching sports that you can't do yourself anymore). So, thank you for your help!
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Dear changemakers,
after the (over)flow of comments and compliments, I still would like to add my appreciation and respect to the two of you. As active member of Amnesty International we have talked about Mysa in our last conference, everyone was enthousiastic about the organisation and especially your project! I think I can speak for everyone who has hope for a better, healther, more committed world that your project makes people smile and intensifies the feeling that individuals can make a difference. Thank you first of all for that strength. I am very curious about some things that must have crossed your mind while thinking this project over. Can you explain to me what the role of education at schools is for you program? I am convinced of the idea that with good schooling every society upgrades her changes for a solid base. Shouldn't the first staps be: every disabled child has to have acces to proper education? (As you know, the milenniumgoals include also the strive for education for alle childen at 2015) What is actually the percentage childen (approximately) that enjoys education and how many of them are disabled?
Your plan is to work with special schools, is your focus on putting effort to get mainly the childen informed about disabled persons or the teachers? I hope you can give me some clarity about this issues I was wandering about. Then I have still one thing I couldn't make clear out of your story: are you working together with institutions/persons who give specific medical aid, I presume there is also a shortcoming in that segment. Can you maybe co-operate with doctors or fysiotherapist from Medecins sans Frontieres of is this going to far? Anyway, I am very interested in your project and progressions, I would like to keep informed. For now wishing you all the luck, power, efficiency, strenght and love which is needed.
Dear regards
Loes Berkhout
University of Utrecht/Cultural Anthropology
The Netherlands
Dear Loes,
Thank you for your interesting comments. It’s great to hear that Amnesty International appreciates the work MYSA is doing. We would be very happy if we, as you say, can make people smiling. Regardless disability, gender, cultural background, religion, etc. everyone has the right to enjoy and to smile.
Although we agree with you that proper education is very important, we are not sure if attending school needs to be a requirement for attending sport activities. According to the United Nations (2007), sport programs for people with disabilities are a cost-effective and highly therapeutic method of rehabilitation. Sport has the power to empower the individual (with disabilities), increase self-confidence and self-esteem, promote peer interaction, social relationships and teamwork and improve quality of life (Valkova et al., 2006; Strohkendl, 1995; Ogi,2007; Van den Brule; 2007). In other words, sport can teach children important life-skills which they won’t learn in school. This doesn’t mean that we don’t try to involve them in school (in fact, we do try to link the hidden kids with the special schools), but in our view the millennium education goal doesn’t need to be met before involving children in sports.
We can’t give you accurate date about the amount of children going to school since Kenyan studies on that topic are lacking or outdated. However we do know that in 1998, approximately 70 % of children aged 5-17 12 attended school (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2003). As far as we know, no study exiss about the amount of schooling children with disabilities.
We indeed intend to work together with organizations specialised in medical help. In order to make it possible to involve the children with severe disabilities in the project, we plan to make them more mobile. In trying to reach this goal we are in contact with different organizations such as Motivation Charitable Trust, and Liliane Fonds.
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask us.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Hello,
I like your spirits you are doing an amazing work, very much impressed with it and I wish you all the best.
Cheers
Anand
Dear Anand,
Thank you for this positive comment. We are also impressed by the karate lessons you are doing with people with mental disabilities. As we have coached atlhetes with mental disabilties in different sports we recognize the difficulties in keeping their attention. However, by ensuring varation in the tasks, we think that you are using a good strategy to keep them enjoying your lessons. Good job!
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
I really appreciate that what you are doing. There is an International organisation called Brothers of Charity Ireland doing the same thing like you people. Try to contact them onece and tell your opinion may be they will help you in raising funds. here is the website www.brothersofcharity.ie.
Srikanth
Dear Srikanth,
Thank you very much for your comment and your advise. We have had a look to the website of Brothers of Charity and are really pleased to read about their work. As we understand, a small part of their work is to offer sports programmes and Special Olympic participation to those people with mental disabilities who are interested in this area. Since they have a congregation in Nairobi, we will absolutely contact them to find out more about their way of working and maybe discuss possibilities of collaboration.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Hi Steffi and Pierre,
There's some fantastic discussion about your project and it sounds like you are well on your way to establishing a quality development project for people with a disability in Kenya.
Since you both have not been in Kenya for such a long time, I'm interested to know how you are finding communication channels whilst setting up your initiative. I imagine that internet is not so widely available in the slum areas that you have chosen to target.
Have you used interpreters to talk with MYSA staff and volunteers and also local communities and individuals? Have you come across any barriers and obstacles in your communication? Or are there some strategies you are thinking of introducing to improve communication between yourselves and local stakeholders?
I wish you all the best with the project and look forward to hearing your progress along the way.
Best regards,
Jackie Lauff
ICSSPE & Free University Berlin
Hi Jackie,
It's great that you found some time to read our entry and to ask these interesting questions.
First of all, we want to make clear that English is an official language in Kenya. From primary school on, children are thought in English, so most of the people speak this language besides Swahili. However, some people, especially those with disabilities, haven't attend school. In communicating with them, the MYSA project leader would function as the interpreter to translate English into Swahili and vice versa. So, while being in Kenya we haven’t really had communication problems.
Since we are back in Europe (for 2.5 months) you are right that the communication is more difficult. Luckily, internet is available on the MYSA headquarters (at least when there is no power cut off…). Therefore, we make skype appointments (calling for free using the computer) each Monday to discuss what we are going to do that week (writing it down in the action plan), and each Friday to discuss what we have done that week. In between we send emails if we need to share important news. By doing so we keep each other updated and prepare important meetings.
If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Disabilities' persones have already a difficult life in our country so we can imagine that's more difficult for Kenyans. We hope thant we could could help you with our project. Even it's a small thing, we will make it with a lot of pleasure.
Thanks for your help and good luck.
Léa and elodie
Hi Léa and Elodie,
Thank you very much for your reaction and even more for your wonderful initiative. We really appriciate it that you want to organise a concert and an exposition to raise fund for our project. We have no doubt that you will help us a lot by doing so!
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Hi everyone,
For people who are interested in this project, a new article has been published on the website of the International Platform on Sport and Development. The full version of the project proposal can also be downloaded from here. The link is:
http://www.sportanddev.org/en/news/mysa-to-launch-a-new-project-focusing-on-children-with-disabilities.htm
Pierre and Steffi
Hi Pierre and Steffi,
I understand that some people find this project very optimistic and wonder if it wouldn’t be more necessary to focus on basic needs first. I agree on the fact that it is important to focus attention on such needs, however it has been proven that sport is a very good tool in getting attention for major problems. More precisely: When a project that links sport with a certain problem (e.g. the lack of medical aid) is running well, it will get attention from a various group of people. People working in the medical sector can get attracted and willing to link up with the project (e.g. doctors or people donating wheelchairs). I was wondering if you intend to supply the children with (better) wheelchairs/crutches/prostheses etc.?
On the other hand I want to tell you that I find it very good that you also focus attention on children’s joy. I think that the importance of playing and learning, of having fun and being good in something, can’t be underestimated. I think the children will get self-confidence by getting positive attention (for a change) by your project and I hope there community will see that also these children are as important as children without disabilities!
I wish you a lot of succes with the project. I think it's special that two young students are willing to work so hard to get attention for this problem, help a lot of children and try to make this project a succes. I think a lot of young people wanted to do something good for others but never take the step to actually do it! Good job!
Naomi Dijong
Dear Naomi,
Thank you very much for your positive comment. To answer your question: Yes, we do intend to supply children with better wheelchairs/crutches/prostheses etc. Most of the children in the slums are lacking medical services and the mobility aids you are talking about. In order to make it possible to involve these children (mostly hidden in the houses) in the project, we plan to make them more mobile. In trying to reach this goal we are in contact with different organizations such as:
- Motivation Charitable Trust (they provide sports wheelchairs to developing countries and also have an entry in this competition that you might be interested in)
- Liliane Fonds (they help children with disabilities by funding surgeries, mobility aids etc.)
By partnering with them we hope to ensure the inclusion of children with severe disabilities who would otherwise stay in the houses.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Congratulations, both of you, Pierre and Steffi, on doing something that hopefully may help hundred of childrens with disabilities in Africa. I am very proud of what you did and what you're going to do, you're the guys who can make things change over there, that's a big challenge and I wish you'll get this on the right way.
So, I wish you good luck and perseverance for your ambitious project , please, let me know how your project is going on.
Looking forward to hearing some good from you...
Arnaud the french guy from Erasmus Mundus! ( still alive !!) ;)
Hi Arnaud!
Good to hear from you! It's great that you have so much confidence in us, maybe even too much... We won't be the ones making the change over there, the communities will absolutely do that themselves! We just hope to give them some assistance in doing so. If we succeed in that, we will be very happy.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Dear Steffi and Pierre,
I think you are doing a great job by trying to include the disabled Kenyans from the slums in sports. I think it is essential for their self-esteem that they can also participate in team sports, even though they are different from their contemporaries. It is my opinion that you have already contributed to their well-being just by showing them that you care and by drawing the world's attention to the problem of disabled children in slums and their lack of opportunities.
Furthermore, I believe this project can become a great succes, as you have contacted a number of committees and organizations which also see the potential of your project.
I understand that the path to what you have already reached wasn't always that easy. I greatly admire your motivation and persistence to improve the quality of life for at least a group of children that are less fortunate than children growing up in the US or Europe for example. I hope changemakers will also acknowledge this and help you to keep this project running.
I wish you the very best with the continuation of this important project.
Ralf Pelgrim
University of Utrecht
Dear Ralf,
We really appreciate your supporting reaction. It is absolutely true that we care about people with disabilities. However, to have an impact on their lives, local people need to care as well and make the project running.
Indeed, we did face and will continue facing barriers while implementing the project. But we and the people working with us are really motivated to overcome them.
Thanks again for your reaction.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Indeed this is a noble idea that for very many years people with disabilities have not been given the opportunity to gauge there competency in sports and community development activities in the slum. With this project I believe youth from one of the largest slum in Africa will enjoy recreation weeks and also partake in community work and music.
This Is a enormous idea and we hope the worth and capability of this marginalized group will be respected.
Dear Ismail,
We really appreciate your supporting comment and agree with you when you are saying that persons with disabilities should have access to all activities. Sport used as a tool can contribute to the personal development of every individual therefore improve their participation in society (UN, 2007). We are sure that together we can make this project succeeding!
Steffi and Pierre
University of Paris
Hey Pierre and Steffi
Wherever you are please note that I admire your energy levels. Should there be any help you need from me during your project stay in Kenya, and if I am in a position to help I will not hesitate. wonderful innovation!!
People with disabilities need to be reassured that they are valued.
Dear Peter,
Thank you very much for your positive comment. It's great that you offer help when needed. As the man with experience you can absolutely be very helpful. We will keep your offer in mind! Thanks again.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Boyle (1963) says sport permeates any number of levels of contemporary society, and it touches upon and deeply influences such disparate elements as status, race relations, business life, automotive design, clothing styles, and the concept of the hero, language, and ethical values.
I wish you all well and this is a noble gesture that requires the support of humanity. We have but pretended for too long in Africa and the time to act is now. All governments have signed declarations like 'sports for all and education for all' but nothing can be seen on the ground to prove their rhetoric. Let us shame them by putting our hands together and start showing the way and they shall follow.
May god bless you all.
Peter
Dear Peter,
Thank you for the inspiring comment. You are right in saying that governments do sign declarations concerning disability issues. Although many people are not aware of it, 2000-2009 is the African Decade of People with Disabilities. The Action Plan for this decade states, among others:
- Promotion of more efforts that encourage positive atitudes towards children, youth, women and adults with disabilities
- Implementation of measures to ensure their access to rehabilitation, education, training and employment, as well as to cultural and sports activities and access to the physical environment
However, as you mention, 'on the ground' not many changes can be observed. With this project, MYSA therefore hopes to give a good practical example in the process towards an inclusive society.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Good job guys: I'm very happy to see you both tackling such big issues!
There was one thought pressing in my mind whilst reading your proposal: If these kids are living in the slums of Nairobi, could it be that there are more important needs that must be met before exercise is taken up? For example, do they have the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing and water? What about shelter? And what about systems of health care? If they don’t have these, then why would they willingly take part in something like exercise? This argument is based upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (which is quite a western way of looking at things, I know), but it's one argument that might be addressed if you are competing for funding with other organizations that focus their efforts more upon basic human needs. Anyway, it's just a thought.
j
Dear Jason,
That is a useful thought. You are right in saying that funding agencies might point out this aspect against sports programs. However, the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport of UNESCO (1978) states that every human being has a fundamental right to sport which is essential for the full development of his personality. The freedom to develop physically and intellectually and develop moral powers through sport must be guaranteed both within the educational system and other aspect of social life. Moreover, Article 30 of the United Nations convention of rights of people with disabilities (2006) states the right of persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis in recreational, leisure and sporting activities.
Beside the main needs such food, water and health, the community still needs a social life and access to activities. Sport and physical activity empowers the individuals. Further, sports programs contribute to improve their health (e.g. cost-effective way of rehabilitation), education and employment skills (e.g. leadership) and opportunities (UN, 2007). Empowerment of the individual can open lots of doors in the personal development (e.g. employment) which might contribute to supplying their basic needs.
You are referring to the Maslow’s Hierarchy where sport is not the basis. However, sport can contribute to the access of these basic needs (by improving skills that contribute to personal development). Do you think we should prioritize a need above another one or trying to integrate all of them in a development strategy?
Saying that sport is more important would be wrong but sport in a cross-cutting development and poverty-reduction strategies is an efficient tool since its convening power and widespread popularity makes it an outstanding instrument for the development of communities (UN, 2007).
Thank you very much for the comment which points out a very important point and do not hesitate to contact us for further questions.
Steffi and Pierre
Good answer. Well thought out and referenced.
But, you've asked me a question that needs to be addressed: "Do you think we should prior[itize?] a right above another one or trying to integrate all of them in a development strategy?"
I dont think this is a question of "Rights" at all. Although I feel that kids should have the Right to play sport, they may not be in a position to take advantage of the Right due to a lack of fulfilment in their basic needs. So I'll go further and rephrase your last question as follows: " Do you think we should prioritize addressing some needs above others, or should we try to serve all needs in a development strategy?"
This is a tough question. I think that you should assess if the majority of kids are in a position to take advantage of their right to play sport. If there are currently enough kids then your project is timely: their basic needs have been met and they can play sport (wooohooo!! rock on!!!). But if you find that there aren't enough kids comming out to play sport then you must honestly look at what basic needs are not being met in the children's lives. Work at addressing these issues (which are likely large social issues), then in time your intervention will find a place.
Anyway, I'm no expert in development, in fact this is the first time I've considered it. I just hope this discussion will help out in some way.
best of luck,
j
Dear Jason,
In our view you are right in saying that sport won't be successful in all circumstances. In some situation (e.g. war) it might not be safe enough and you first need to ensure the safety of the environment t in which the children will play. However, we think that sport may also be a sort of assistance in meeting other needs. By bringing conflicting groups together within a sport team you might break existing barriers between them and increase safety. (Of course we know that this won’t happen in all cases and that sport can even increase violence if implementing in the wrong way)
To conclude, we think that sport can be part of an approach that addresses several needs. It can be used as a tool to raise awareness on several important issues (or main needs if you want to call it like that).
This is a very interesting discussion and we invite everyone interested to participate in to give their opinion and experience.
Thank you again Jason for this comment.
Steffi and Pierre
University of Paris
Hello,
You mention that you will build capacity for your program by providing a course based on sports for persons with disabilities. Could you explain what this course entails and how you plan to spread the course? Will it be rolled out in schools?
Thank you
Dana Frasz
Changemakers
Dear Dana,
First of all, thank you very much for your interest in the project. As we explained in one of the previous comments, capacity building is an important part of our project since knowledge about disability is lacking in the Eastlands of Nairobi. Therefore, MYSA intends to give its volunteers a course on disability issues as well as on adapted sport.
Each partners of the project will bring in their expertise in the course. Firstly, the course will focus on the general disability issues such as the rights of people with disabilities, inclusion and assisting techniques (e.g. guiding someone with visual impairment in a disability unfriendly environment). Secondly, sport for people with physical disabilities will be introduced to the volunteers in order to develop their coaching skills, leadership and specific knowledge in different sports. Besides, the course will cover coaching skills for people with intellectual disabilities. At last, inclusive approaches in the implementation of physical activities will be taught to the volunteers. For further details you can look at the answer given to Piet de Jong, since he asked similar questions.
In your comment, you are pointing out the transfer of knowledge to the communities and to the schools. To this end, MYSA is establishing a strong network with all the special schools since a part of the participants will come from those institutions. Physical Education teachers from each school will be invited to participate in the course in order to improve the quality of the adapted sports programs in the schools. Moreover, the volunteers will have the responsibility to organize and conduct the monthly community information meetings in which they will discuss different disability issues. By doing so, they will spread their knowledge in the community.
Herewith, we hope we have answered all you questions. If not, please let us know.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Dear Pierre and Steffi,
I wish you the best with this project, because physical activities have an enormous influence on the cognition of young and elderly people. With good physical activities their cognitive performances will increase, their quality of life will increase, and sport also has a positive effect on emotions. Therefore you will not only make the world better with your project, but most of all, you will make the life of all the participants better.
Karin Volkers, PhD
Human movement scientist
Clinical neuropsychology VU Amsterdam
Dear Karin,
Similar to you, we also believe in the enormous influence sport can have on people. It is interesting that you name the positive effect on cognition. Do you know if this effect can also be found in people with intellectual disabilities, or do you know studies related to this?
Pierre and Steffi
Despite the voluminous amount of research that has been published in the field of exercise science over the past decades, there remains a paucity of information on the activity patterns and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise in persons with disabilities. In an era when physical activity has grown to new heights in terms of its importance in promoting health and preventing disease, many questions pertaining to how it affects the lives of individuals with physical and mental disabilities remain unanswered (Rimmer et al., 1996: Research on physical activity and disability: an emerging national priority), especially because of a high diversity of disabilities.
It is known that within the eldely group, physical activity enhances cognitive function, and protects against the development of neurodegenerative diseases (Kramer 2007: Capitalizing on cortical plasticity: influence of physical activity on cognition and brain function). Physical activity is especially related to the frontal lobe, a region that mediates executive function and experiences accelerated age-related decline (Bixby 2007: The unique relation of physical activity to executive function in older men and women). Overall, exercise training increases fitness, physical function, cognitive function, and positive behavior in people with dementia and related cognitive impairments (Heyn et al. 2004: The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: A meta-analysis)
Dear Karin,
That is very interesting information. We know the research of Rimmel et al. (1996) and are aware of the lack in studies concerning (sport for people) with disabilities, especially those in developing countries. That is one of the reasons why we will conduct a research on the effectiveness of this sport project for people with disabilities.
For the evaluation of this project, we want to obtain information about physical activity level and quality of life of persons with disabilities living in the slums of Nairobi and the attitudes toward them. In order to find possible effects of the project, we will collect data at baseline level (at the beginning of the project) and at yearly intervals. In case you are interested in the results, we will be happy to keep you informed.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Dear Pierre and Steffi,
I would like to congratulate and compliment you with this great project you have described above. You have my deepest respect and sympathies for this.
As a project co-ordinator for the Spark Foundation, a foundation which sets the improvement of management, education and sport standards on schools in the rural areas of South Africa as a goal, we can emphasise that in several aspects sport can be seen as a learning school where attention is given to psychological, organisational, moral and physical aspects. Sport plays an important role and gives a positive impulse in the development of an individual. By adapting the opportunities and level in sport to the capabilities of a certain individual, self-respect, self-esteem and the respect for and confidence in other individuals is brought to a higher level. Also very primary values as a good health, self-efficacy and development both mentally and physically can be attributed to participation in sport. It contributes in obtaining an active lifestyle and in the conservation and quality of life itself.
In this aspect it is unthinkable that certain groups of people in the world (in your case, the disabled) are still denied and neglected from these opportunities. This situation creates a big challenge, not only for you two, but especially for the disabled people and other residents in your target country.
By spreading knowledge and raising awareness on this specific issue through persons whom people can identify with (both the disabled and the not disabled, both foreign and local), by including these persons (and other relevant third parties) in the organization of your project and by creating sporting opportunities for people who in that aspect were and still are neglected, I hope and believe that your project will succeed.
Not only by having an impact on the lives of these people on the short and long term, but hopefully also on the development of the country and its people as a whole in regard to this issue.
Wishing you all the best, success and luck in your project.
Roy Tjan
Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen
Project Co-ordinator Spark Foundation
Dear Roy,
Thank you for this interesting comment. There rest us nothing else than saying: we completely agree with you on the importance of sport. Regular physical activity, sports participation, and active recreation are essential behaviors for the prevention of disease, promotion of health, maintenance of functional independence and many positive psychological effects for persons with and without disabilities. However, population-based surveys have demonstrated that persons with disabilities are less likely to be physically active, compared to able-bodied persons. This is alarming since, as you point out and is described above, persons with disabilities experience many benefits from participating in regular physical activity. Therefore, we indeed hope to not only reach the participants, but indirectly the whole community in the slums of Nairobi and in the future communities in other parts of the country.
We are impressed by the goals of the Spark Foundation and are wondering what method you use to improve the sport standards on schools. It might be useful for you to check out other competition entries describing sport projects in South Africa (e.g. Hoops 4 Hope and Grassroot Soccer, Inc.) to look for possibilities in collaboration. And of course, your foundation can consider entering this competition with a project as well. We hope to hear from you in this competition.
Pierre and Steffi
Dear Pierre and Steffi,
First of all, thank you for the tip.
Concerning your question, the Spark Foundation does not have a tight format with methods which are used to obtain the goals of the Foundation.
Carefully selected volunteers are trained and send to South Africa where they will come to work on a school that has asked for the help of the Foundation and that has been selected by the Foundation. These volunteers play a vital role in the realisation of the initiatives of the Foundation. Each volunteer is responsible for "his or her own" school and has a facilitating role. The volunteer works by example and does this in close harmony with the children and the people working at the school. The volunteer also keeps in close contact with the Spark Foundation (based in the Netherlands) and the Department of Education of South Africa where he or she reports his results to and discusses the progress made on the school. On basis of their observations they write a business plan (adapt a former business plan) together with the management team of the school and discuss this with the Spark Foundation and the Department of Education. When all the parties are in agreement they start with the implementation. As described in my earlier comment the standards we try to improve are broad (management, education, sport, social issues). This means the work done is broad; getting sponsors, materials (books, sporting equipment etc), facilities (electricity, ‘mobile’-classrooms etc.) for the school, giving education (in and out of the class, on and off the field), trying to carefully break through barriers (HIV/AIDS, corporal punishment, the role of the women etc.), facilitating the management and trying to create a clear management structure and organizing activities/workshops by third parties for the children (excursions, field trips, career guidance, HIV/AIDS- education etc.). The most important thing is that everything is done together! with the people working at the school and in close harmony with them, the Spark Foundation, the Department of Education and the community. The volunteer has to be the Spark, not the fire itself!
In case of improving the standards for sport. In most of our cases there isn’t any physical education on the school, and resources are scarce. We try to convince the management of the importance of sport for children (but the management has to make the choice by itself) and give aid in trying to get a physical educator (in most cases get somebody within the staff trained) and to fit physical education inside the curriculum. Furthermore we try to get sporting equipment (being creative brings you a long way) and try to facilitate in making lesson plans and giving education on the field. Also we organize tournaments against other schools and encourage and facilitate the management in organizing a tournament or enrolling in a tournament by itself.
In all cases the Spark Foundation hopes to make a little step back every year and leaves the school when the school self has showed it can sustain itself in management, education and sport.
I hope I have clearly answered your question. Of course if you have any further questions I will be happy to answer them for you.
Roy Tjan
Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen
Project Co-ordinator Spark Foundation
Dear Roy,
We are glad to hear from you again and are very interested in the work of the Spark Foundation. We can imagine that setting-up sport in some schools can be a real challenge. Amusa & Toriola (2005) found many differences, among others in facilities and educated physical educators, between the “white” and “black” schools, in post-apartheid South Africa. Therefore, foundations like the Spark Foundation should continue their work to improve this situation.
One of the important things you pointed out in your reply was that the Spark Foundation was doing the work together with the communities. And, indeed, that is a good strategy since the communities themselves should be responsible of the project. You explained in your comment the withdrawal strategy of the volunteers to let the communities managing the projects. Sustainability has always been a big issue in the area of developmental work. This issue is really interesting to discuss for the reason that it is something that every project responsible (especially in the case that the initiators are coming from overseas) should think about. Autonomy of the communities is really important! When a project fails after the initiators leave, we can wonder: Is it the fault of the community who is not able to carry out the project or is it the wrong sustainability strategy of the organization?
We are really impressed by the large panel of issues that the Spark Foundation addresses. At this end, we were wondering if volunteers are trained in all kind of issues (HIV/AIDS, Sport, other subjects) or in one specific domain? Another point that we would like to know is about people with disabilities: Is there any inclusion strategy that the Spark Foundation is using to promote inclusive society? This point is really interesting for us since inclusion takes a big place in our project .
We hope that you will find some time to answer our question and thank you for taking part actively in the discussion on our entry.
Thanks
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
I am really impressed by the initiative to set up your project for people with disabilities. As KNVB instructor of many courses for football coaches, given in different African countries like Burkina Faso, Zambia and Kenya, I have experienced that people with disablilities are mostly excluded from sports and cultural activities. In your project you intend to increase the competency of the volunteers to deal with all the complicated factors. Could you please tell me something about the content of the course to achieve the required competency of the volunteers? Will there only be a basic course or do you plan to organize advanced courses as well?
Piet de Jong,
KNVB instructor
Dear Piet,
Thank you for your comment and good questions. Indeed, capacity building is an important aspect in the project since knowledge in the area of disability is lacking in the slums of Nairobi. Therefore, one of MYSA's aims is to educate the volunteers on disability issues in general and sport for people with disabilities in particular.
The course for volunteers will be organized with the project partners who will each contribute workshops within their area. More specific, one part of the course will deal with general disability issues such as the rights of people with disabilities, inclusion and assisting techniques (e.g. transfers from and to a wheelchair). Another part will focus on sports for people with physical disabilities, rules and coaching skills. A third part covers coaching skills in sports for people with intellectual disabilities. At last, the course participants will be taught on inclusive activities.
The course will exist of theoretical and practical sessions. In the practical session the volunteers will experience different sports themselves and will bring theory in practice during the coaching of a group of children with various disabilities.
The duration of the course doesn’t allow going in depth into theories. The course will therefore focus on basic knowledge that will enable the volunteers to coach during the recreation days. After the volunteers have had some practical experience during the recreation days, we will organize information days throughout the year to teach more details and discuss possible questions. At the beginning of the second year a new basic course will be organized for new volunteers and an advanced course for volunteers that have passed the basic course in the first year. In doing so, we hope to increase the available knowledge on disability issues in the slums of Nairobi.
Since you seem to be an experienced coach instructor, we would like to hear your opinion on the content and teaching method described above. Dou you have any advises? We are looking forward to hear from you.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Hi Pierre and Steffi,
I commend your commitment to the disadvantaged communities of Nairobi and to help those who face even more challenges through their physical and mental hurdles. Unfortunately, we see so many people faced with extreme life disabliities in impovrished places every day with no one to turn to for help. And they seem to be up against even more with the phenomena of "the pegony of the oppressed" which turns people against the weakest in their society. Good luck in building this great program and please feel free to contact us to see if we can assist from afar with our curriculum or experience.
Best, Mark
Mark Crandall
Hoops 4 Hope
hoops4hope@mac.com
ehsc@mac.com
www.hoopsafrica.org
Dear Mark,
Thank you for your motivating comment. The situation of people with disabilities we have observed in the slums of Nairobi is similar to your description. Comparable to Western countries, there is a widespread tendency to stigmatize and discriminate people with disabilities. Myths, legends, scriptures and folklores are all part of the cultural belief system that shapes such attitudes which in turn causes major barriers in improving life conditions of people with disabilities. However, many researchers suggest that education about, and experience with people with a mental and/or physical disability, positively affect the attitudes of persons toward individuals with disabilities (Thompson et al., 2003, Oermann & Lindgren, 1995, Biordi & Oermann, 1993). Even brief information about the abilities of persons with disabilities can result in more positive attitudes (McDonald & McIntyre, 1999, Lindgren & Oermann, 1993). Therefore, participating or coaching in the weekly recreation days, courses and information meetings on disability issues are promising manners of changing attitudes of community members.
We appreciate your support and the offer to help us when needed. We would be happy to discuss further about the possibilities of cooperation. Good luck for your project.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
I just wanted to wish you two the best for your innovative project! Seems like it is really well worked out and overthought. Hope the implementation is rather soon and the idea will be established. So far is known to me you have created a broad and useful network to make the best out of it. Again, good luck! Keep up the good work.
Kind regards,
Marjolein Ros
University of Groningen.
Dear Marjolein,
Thank you very much for the possitive reaction. In our view we have indeed created a very good network in order to implement the project. Nevertheless, other organizations that want to partner, advice or support are always welcome.
Pierre and Steffi
University of Paris
Dear Steffi and Pierre,
The project you exposed here seems to me a great initiative to contribute to the improvement of the situation of people with disabilities in developing countries like Kenya. However, I am a bit concerned about the role of the volunteers. I would like to ask you to define more clearly the role of your volunteers. As they are one of the main actors of this project, what strategy do you use in order to involve them fully in the project and keep up their motivation?
Congratulations again for your innovative idea and I am looking forward to hear your answers.
Rinske van Dijk
University of Maastricht