Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
In a move expected to aid their efforts to empower and include individuals with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics Zimbabwe have introduced the Unified Champion Schools initiative.
The initiative aims to promote social inclusion through sport, bringing together young individuals with and without intellectual disabilities.
It seeks to activate youth, engage, and promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion.
While SOZ are just getting started with the programme, it has been running in other countries for some time.
SOZ yesterday engaged representatives from various ministries — including the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the Sports and Recreation Commission representatives, a few selected athletes, teachers, and the media — to shed light on the programme.
UCS programmes manager Modester Ngwerume said they are currently running a pilot project for six months and will see how it goes.
They started working on the programme in January.
“So today we are launching the Unified Champions Schools project, and we are so excited.
“It is actually a pilot programme and we are being supported by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“We know that we already have children that are in different schools across the country who have intellectual disabilities.
“We want to make sure that those children are also given an opportunity to shine, to also be leaders, and to participate in sports.
“We are trying to promote inclusion of our children with intellectual disabilities in schools so that they are also given positions of authority within the schools,” said Ngwerume.
Ngwerume took the participants through the UCS programme, highlighting the goals and desired outcome.
They are hoping to reduce bullying in schools and exclusion, promote healthy activities and student leader-ship skills, and create communities of caring and respect.
“The idea generally is that as they go into the sports that they are doing, they are also given a partner who is a child who does not have an intellectual disability so that they work together.
“The idea also is to take out the stigma and the stereotyping so that they just become one within the school environment,” said Ngwerume.
SOZ board vice-chairperson Vannesa Moosa added, “this initiative aims to promote meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities, creating more accepting and inclusive school environments.”
The Special Olympics body’s director, Lillian Chikara, said they have started off with Harare and Mashonaland East province.
“We were doing the schools programme but we were not really under the banner of the unified champion schools.
“But now, we are going to be working in two provinces for this project and learn lessons from there, and then we are going to implement it countrywide,” said Ngwerume.
As SOZ seeks to promote visibility and the impact of the initiative, they brought in SRC public relations officer, Arthur Choga, to present on media engagement.
Some of the partners they have been working with include Mufakose High, Prince Edward School, and Churchill High School.
Barbara Njovo, an athlete who has benefited from some of the initiatives by SOZ and is currently a Global Athletic Leadership Input Council member, welcomed the programme.
“It is important for us as athletes, where we are given meaningful roles, such as being a prefect, also being a sports captain, and leading with people without intellectual disabilities.
“Also, it gives us equal opportunities. It also fosters inclusion in different ways. Maybe I am not good in school, but in sports I am good,” said Njovo.
