Blind Football experts dispatch

Context

In Senegal, there is a high demand for the dissemination of diversity education as well as sports for the disabled. The inclusion of disabled children in education is one of the major challenges for development in Senegal. According to Handicap International, people with disabilities in Senegal face barriers daily when trying to access health, education, and employment services. The number of disabled children aged 7 to 16 is estimated at 35% (2013 census), among them, 66% are not enrolled in a school program.

Therefore, the Secretary-General of the Japan Blind Football Association, a player and a former Japanese women’s national team member were dispatched to Senegal to conduct surveys related to sports for the disabled, technical guidance for blind football players, and participate in educational events.

The project is initiated in partnership with the Ministry of National Education, the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), the Senegal Blind Football Team, the JICA Senegal Office, and the Japan Blind Football Association (JBFA).

Goals

• To understand the issues related to blind football and sports for the disabled in Senegal through some lectures, interviews, and discussions with blind football players and coaches
• To promote diversity education in Senegal by implementing human resource development programs using blind football, observing the activities of JOCV members who support blind football, and providing technical advice to them
• To examine the possibility of future support projects for sports for the disabled and social participation of the disabled in Senegal
• To examine the possibility of exchanging and strengthening the network between people related to blind football in Japan and Senegal

Activities

• Human resource development programs using blind football in three elementary schools and an event
• Questionnaire survey on the pupils before and after their participation in the program to measure their “adaptability to diversity”
• Lectures, interviews, and discussions with blind football players and coaches
• Exchanging opinions with the Ministry of Sports, the Handicapped Sports Organization (Handy Sports), the National School for the Blind (INAFJA), and the Football Federation to gather information on sports for the disabled and blind football in Senegal
• Examination of the possibility to support sports for the disabled in Senegal through JICA volunteer projects and other JICA projects and discussions with the Ministry of Sports, Handy Sports, INAFJA, and the Football Federation

Target impact

• 136 pupils in three primary schools benefited from the human resource development programs
• 60 children in football clubs profited from the human resource development programs
• Teams improved their teamwork by discussing sports and strategies within, and by talking to each other
• Students changed their behavior on their “adaptability to diversity”

Support provided by JICA

• Sending project experts specialised in blind football
• Sending a coordinator to coordinate and assess the situation of sports for the disabled
• Organising an educational event by Senegal Blind Football Team, JICA Senegal Office, JOCV with the cooperation of JBFA representatives.
• Providing sports equipment to conduct human resource development programs by utilising blind football.
• Conducting a questionnaire survey on the children who participated in the program before and after their participation in the program to measure their “adaptability to diversity”.