Location: Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia

Centre Host: Special Olympics Namibia (SON)

Status: up and running, opened on September 25, 2010

Sep. 25, 2010: The Katutura Football for Hope Centre opens its doors

Sep. 24, 2010: Katutura Football for Hope Centre to open in Namibia

June 1, 2010: Katutura Football for Hope Centre celebrates with bricklaying ceremony

The Football for Hope Centre is in Katutura, a township of Windhoek in the Khomas region of Namibia. In the 2001 census, Katutura reported a population of over 110,000 people and a diverse set of constituencies. The main challenges faced by people living in Katutura are poverty, unemployment (30% overall) and illnesses such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

SON has recognised a direct correlation between intellectual disability and poverty in the community. An intellectually disabled child is likely to be seen as a financial burden on the household, and through inactivity and social isolation the child has few opportunities to learn the skills necessary to become a productive citizen and escape poverty. SON works with various special schools in Windhoek; the families of most of their pupils reside in Katutura.

Individuals with special needs face particularly difficult challenges in Namibian society, including unemployment, barriers to education and social stigma. With the establishment of the Namibian Special Olympics programme in 1998, both adults and children with intellectual disabilities have been able to train and compete in athletics, basketball and football. Special Olympics Namibia (SON) is affiliated with Special Olympics International. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics International, passed away in 2009. In her memory, the Katutura Football for Hope Centre builds on her inspiration and spirit to improve the lives of persons with intellectual disabilities, their families and communties around the world.

Originally starting in Windhoek, SON has expanded to six other regions in the last ten years and currently reaches a total of 1,272 athletes. Alongside its work on the ground, SON sees itself as an advocacy-based organisation that aims to reverse negative stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities and to reduce their stigmatisation in Namibian society.

SON has identified the urgent need to address HIV/AIDS and reproductive health and sexual behaviour patterns with their athletes. People with intellectual disabilities are at a higher risk of sexual abuse and are often excluded from HIV and health education programmes. Grassroot Soccer’s (GRS) ‘Skillz curriculum’, a reproductive health curriculum which aims to increase the awareness and information about HIV/AIDS among youth and to empower youth to stay HIV/AIDS free, has proven to be very successful. GRS and SON jointly developed the first HIV/AIDS curriculum for people with intellectual disabilities that incorporates football.

SON provides a range of sports at the centre, particularly football, where young people with and without disabilities play together, reducing stigma and prejudices towards people with disabilities. In the centre, adults and children with and without disabilities have access to Internet services and specific IT education and computer literacy training.

Stay-C Namases
National Director, Special Olympics Namibia
Tel / Fax: +264 61 302403
Mobile: +264 812 991 472
Email: special-olympics@iway.na or staync14@yahoo.com

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