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MYSA starts a new project for people with disabilities


Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) have started a new project focusing on persons with disabilities, the project by the name of Kids with disability project will be offering sport and recreational opportunities to the physically and mentally challenged, MYSA aspire to improve their physical activity levels and social interaction, and to change attitudes of the population towards persons with disabilities in order to promote an inclusive society. The project with its slogan of “Giving mentally and physically challenged an equal chance” will reach its goals by organising “Weekly Recreation Days” where a number of adapted sports will be introduced to the children with disabilities from the MYSA zones. Besides, monthly information meetings will be held within the communities to raise awareness on disability issues amongst persons with disabilities. Some of the roles of Kids with disability project will be to:
To provide sport and recreational activities
Where Mentally and physically challenged will be involved in numerous sports activities such as sitting-volley, standing volleyball, basket-ball, wheelchair basket-ball, soccer, badminton, table tennis, boccia, athletics and fitness training.
By creating a large network with relevant sports clubs and sport organisation the project will increase the number of opportunities for kids with disabilities to participate in sport and develop a pathway from grass root to competitive level.
To provide education
In order to overcome the lack of knowledge in disability sport, a course will be provided by MYSA to educate the volunteers on “Sports for people with disabilities”. Besides, some of the volunteers will get the opportunity to follow official coaching courses organised by the national and international bodies of adapted sports.
To raise awareness
Majority of people living in the slums of Nairobi hold negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. This, in part decreases the degree to which children, adolescents and adults with disabilities are able to learn, work and live alongside their peers without disabilities. The promise of including individuals with disabilities in the joy of sport and in all aspects of life is continually challenged by these negative attitudes and stereotypes of the society. For the project to be successful, the subtle but pervasive fear and misunderstanding needs to be changed. Therefore, the Kids with disability project will raise awareness amongst the population of the communities by organising monthly community information meetings on different disability issues. To achieve this goal, ‘role-models’ will intervene during the meetings to give concrete examples of the life, experiences and positive achievements of persons with disabilities.
To promote inclusion
Although inclusion, at least as a philosophy, has become broadly accepted, the full acceptance of individuals with disabilities has not yet been achieved. It is a complete process going step-by-step from separate to parallel, to inclusive activities. The inclusion process of Kids with disability project starts with the recruitment of volunteers with and without disabilities. Working together in on the same project increases understanding and sensitivity about one another and can assist in preventing social exclusion.

Furthermore, the Kids with disability project will try to enable all individuals regardless of their disabilities to participate in physical activities in the same environment as their peers by giving them individualised support and attention. The recreation days and the information meetings will give the opportunities to the children and the rest of the community to interact socially and to move forward in the process of inclusion.

In order to reach the totally excluded children, MYSA volunteers will try to locate and include in the project the ‘hidden’ or ‘locked-in’ kids who are not attending school or participating in the social life. Close relationships between MYSA and the special schools will be established in order to facilitate the integration of the ‘hidden’ kids into the school system and give them the opportunity to follow an academic education like their peers. By doing so, the Kids with disability project will use the power of sport to improve the social situation of people with disabilities in the slums of Nairobi.