SOM hails AUSC Region V Conference

The Special Olympics Malawi (SOM) has described the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region V 2024 Sport for People with Disabilities (SPWD) Conference as crucial in contributing towards improving lives of people with disabilities through sports.

SOM together with other participants from Malawi recently participated in a 3-day conference in Gaborone, Botswana, which saw the participation of over 70 stakeholders from 10 member countries and beyond.

Participants from Malawi included representatives from SOM, the Malawi National Council of Sports, Paralympics, and Malawi Olympic Committee.

The conference, themed ‘Inclusion Revolution,’ featured a series of presentations from regional and international speakers. These discussions focused on various topics aligned with the theme and the current SPWD environment in the region.

The goal of these discussions was to foster a deeper understanding and commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities in sports.

“It was a very informative conference and it is exciting that disability sports organizations, we can all contribute collectively towards improving lives of people with disabilities through sports,” Enid Mauluka, SOM National Director told Capital FM.

At the conclusion of the conference, a Regional SPWD Action Plan was developed. This plan will serve as a framework for the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of SPWD programs in member countries, ensuring a unified and effective approach to promoting sports for people with disabilities.

Recently, Special Olympics Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the AUSC Region 5 at the sixth edition of the AUSC Region 5 Awards, marking a partnership between Special Olympics Africa and the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5.

The aim of the partnership is to mainstream the inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in Region 5 AUSC through the 10 Special Olympics programs including participation in Region 5 youth games.

Besides, Special Olympics Africa signed an MOU with National Inclusion Fund (NIF) targeting Special Olympics Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to ensure inclusion of athletes with intellectual disabilities in NIF projects in these three countries.

Special Olympics strive to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and success and through the AUSC Region 5 partnership, more lives of people with intellectual disabilities are reached out.