Adapting a pitch for blind football

A project managed by Entraide Guinée

Since 2016, the association Entraide Guinée has been working to foster access to education for young persons with disabilities or visual impairments in Guinea. In partnership with the Guinean Ministry of Social Action, Entraide Guinée is supporting the development of Sogué school, the only centre for blind and visually impaired persons in Guinea.

A project supported by the Guinean Ministry of Social Action

The Guinean Ministry of Social Action, the Advancement of Women and Children’s Affairs was created in 2014 with a mandate to ensure the full development of the most vulnerable sections of the population, namely women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

Sport is an integral part of quality education because it fosters physical and mental well-being and social inclusion. The association Entraide Guinée is supporting Sogué school to renovate a sports pitch for pupils with visual impairments. It represents another step towards their inclusion in society.

Context

In partnership with UNICEF and the Guinean National Institute of Educational Research, the Ministry of Social Action seeks to promote the social inclusion of persons with disabilities or visual impairments. Created in 2010, Sogué school is the only school in Guinea for visually impaired pupils.

The project – managed by the association Entraide Guinée – aims to renovate a sports pitch and implement sporting activities adapted to the needs of the school. The renovations are scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2020.
By participating in collective physical and sporting activities, in particular blind football, young blind persons, who are often marginalised, are able to develop core values such as team spirit, self-confidence and a sense of belonging to the community.

Blind football sessions will involve the participation of both sighted and blind players in order to raise awareness among young people of the situation of persons with disabilities.

Goals

Enable young people with disabilities or visual impairments to participate in a regular sporting activity
Foster the social inclusion of visually impaired young people in Guinea
Ensure that young people with disabilities have access to quality education
Raise young people’s awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities

Activities

Turning the school’s uneven ground into a recreation area and sports pitch suitable for sporting activities for pupils with visual impairments
Training teachers in sports played by visually impaired pupils, particularly blind football
Providing introductory and training sessions in blind football involving both sighted and visually impaired young people

Impacts

Project benefiting all pupils – girls and boys aged 6 to 16 – at Sogué school and around 15 children who are invited to participate in special activities
80 visually impaired children taking part in regular physical activity
14 teachers at Sogué school trained in sports methods adapted to visually impaired pupils