SUMMER SPECIAL OPLYMPICS CAMP 2017

Special Olympics, an international organization, has been well known for its work in rehabilitation and integration of children with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, etc. for more than 25 years now. The organization carries out regular exercises for children in 20 Olympic-type sports.

— The purpose of our [this year’s] camp is to involve new families and children with special needs in sports. In an environment full of understanding, the children will have terrific ten days where new friendships, including with the volunteers, are formed.  Many of the new friendships last well beyond the camp.  The camp will work Monday to Friday, half day.  This schedule allows campers to exercise just enough without overdoing it at the same time, — said the Director of the “Special Olympics Almaty” Galina Ilyina.

This is the ninth camp that will be hosted by the Haileybury Almaty international school. 70 children with intellectual disabilities, 10 coaches and 20 volunteers coordinated by the Yessenov Foundation are expected as participants.

— The foundation has announced a call for the volunteers back in May. At the moment, the team is already half full and we expect to have the necessary number of volunteers by the camp’s start.  The people who respond for our call are empathic young people and students willing and committed to work in the camp, interact with children and make their summer memorable, — shares with us Grigoriy Lee, the Komanda SOS program coordinator.

The camp provides sports instruction in mini-football, badminton, basketball, bocce and floorball. Special Olympics movement began in the US in 1968 at the initiative of the Kennedy family. The movement of Special Olympics Kazakhstan includes about 7,500 athletes with disabilities nationwide. The coordination center of volunteers Komanda SOS of the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation aims to promote volunteer activity in Kazakhstan as a tool of civil society development.