Fifty eight Schools from Special OLympics Tanzania (SOT)five subprograms are expected to benefit from Unified Champion Schools which is sponsored by Sheikh Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanity (MBZFH)
The official launch of the program took place at Uhuru Special Needs Primary School in Dar es Salaam on Thursday and speaking at the event SOT country Director Charles Rays said Unified Champion Schools is a one year program which is aimed at empowering and educating teachers ,education officers and students /pupils on unified sports .
He named the benefiting subprograms of the program as Ilala ,Kigamboni ,Kinondoni ,Temeke and Ubungo and the program is to benefit 80 teachers who teach intellectually challenged children and those who teach normal children .
He said during the programs more than 80 various sporting activities are expected to take place at the mentioned subprograms , and also SOT will also provide sports equipment to students /pupils.
" This Unified Champion Schools rolled out in the country in May this year ,but today (Last Thursday )we are now officially launching it. During the program we will teach teachers who teach intellectually disabled children and those who teach normal children on how unified sports is run, We at SOT believe that Playing unified on the field and in life " he said .
Guest of honour at the official launch of the program Abeid Milanzi who is Special needs officer for Dar es Salaam Region hailed SOT for the program and asked those who will benefit from it to make use of the knowledge gained .
" As the government we thank SOT for its efforts in inclusive sports and am asking all those who will benefit from it to make use of the knowledge gained , let me assure you that the government is with you," he said .
In 2019 Special Olympics started a program named Play Unified Learn Unified and SOTwas among 14 countries beneficiaries , it was sponsored by Greek based Stavos Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
SOT executed its programs and activities well and Special Olympics International and Special OLympics Africa recommended the local committee (SOT)to get another one year funding .
During the Play Unified Learn Unified SOT managed to reach 160 schools from across the country where 3,133 intellectually disabled,3,414 normal children benefited ,also 535 teachers who teach intellectually challenged children and 251 teachers of normal children benefited .
