From 20 June to 1 July the summer health camp «Camp Shriver» has been working in Almaty for children with mental disabilities. The camp was organized by the Public Association «Special Olympics Kazakhstan» with the support of «Kcell» company.
75 young sportsmen, 10 trainers and 15 volunteers have been met by the “Haileybury Almaty” International School in its hospitable walls. The main purpose of the camp was the positive relation to the people with mental disabilities through different sports events.
This year young sportsmen could prove themselves in six types of sport: mini-football, badminton, basketball, swimming, boccia and floorball. Special athletes participated in individual and team sport competitions, where they are volunteers and the trainers helped to learn new types of sport and find their confederates and friends.
«We are partners of «Special Olympics Kazakhstan» for 16 years, as we fully share and support the idea of inclusive society, and we are confident that this type of communication and interaction will help people with disabilities to be its full members. We are happy that with the support of our company once again the children from ordinary families and children from the boarding schools could communicate, develop, be glad and feel the harmony with the world and the society», – Nataly Eskova, Head of Communications Department of “Kcell” JSC, noted.
The “Camp Shriver” movement exists in the world since 1962, and in Almaty the first camp was held six years ago. During this short period the «Camp Shriver» became an importation part in the process of help and support of Kazakhstani children with mental disabilities.
«Special Olympics» is the largest perennial program of sports trainings and competitions for people with mental disabilities in the world, founded in 1968 by the Kennedy’s family (USA). More than one million people in 170 countries in the world are trained under 26 summer and winter Olympic sports on the local, national and international level. «Special Olympics» not only holds trainings, tournaments and other sports events for children and adults in Kazakhstan, but also organizes participation of special athletes in international competitions.
