SPAT program
This project's parent organization is Respo International
It operates in Ethiopia
It uses , Table Tennis, Adapted sports
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about SPAT program
Disabled persons in Addis Ababa are marginalised in many ways and prone to social ostracism and abuse. Growing up in deeply rooted inequality, they suffer in silence, often unaware of their rights to protection from violence, their rights of access to education.
They lack choices and options and the prospect of future employability. Our program stimulates the present twentyone disabled (young) women and men to bolster their self confidence and determinism and harness their resistance to unwanted pressures from society. Next to a technical and mental martial arts training, our program teaches a variety of sports and recreational skills (ball training, table tennis, athletics, dance), didactic and group-dynamic skills, physical education training, language, and maintaining and repairing rehabilitation material.
The conditions of our program keep them actively participating on a weekly basis, about 1.600 hours per annum, for three years. At the end they receive a diploma, officially recognised by the Ethiopian authorities, and a self defence trainer certificate. All originally enrolled students, now in their third year, are to finish the course. They have real prospects of paid jobs as sports instructors. Expansion of this very promissing program within Ethiopia is planned and introduction in South Africa ongoing.