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Qatar

WISH & LFC in pact to coach children with autism

Published: 15 Oct 2017 - 09:10 am | Last Updated: 28 Dec 2021 - 05:44 pm
Sultana Afdhal, acting CEO of World Innovation Summit for Health; and Machaille Al Naimi, President of Community Development of Qatar Foundation, with the children and trainers at the end of Liverpool Football Club Foundation’s ‘Respect 4 All, Qatar’ trai

Sultana Afdhal, acting CEO of World Innovation Summit for Health; and Machaille Al Naimi, President of Community Development of Qatar Foundation, with the children and trainers at the end of Liverpool Football Club Foundation’s ‘Respect 4 All, Qatar’ trai

Fazeena Saleem | The Peninsula

Children with autism, sensory or physical impairments in Qatar now have the opportunity to learn and enjoy playing football games as result of a new programme by the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). 

WISH collaborated with the LFC Foundation, the official charity of Liverpool Football Club (LFC), and hosted the week-long football training course ‘Respect 4 All, Qatar’ that addressed effective ways for people working in sport in Qatar. 

It focused on giving sports coaches with practical training in helping children with autism reach their potential, socialise, and pursue a healthy lifestyle through participation in football-related activities. 

The course included both classroom sessions and practical outdoor workshops, the latter of which saw coaches work directly with children who have autism.

It concluded on Thursday with a festival day that brought together the participating coaches and children for a range of fun activities. Together with coaches from LFC Foundation, Machaille Al Naimi, President of Community Development, QF, Greg Gomis, goalkeeper from Al Sailiya Sports Club, a Qatar Stars League football club, Sultana Afdhal, Acting Chief Executive Officer of WISH and several others were present at the event. 

“To see local coaches benefiting from the expertise, professionalism, and warmth of the LFC Foundation team is extremely rewarding. As well as being a globally famous and successful football club, Liverpool FC is well known for its strong commitment to using sport to benefit communities, both in the city of Liverpool, the UK, and around the world,” said Afdhal. 

“WISH is delighted to have had the opportunity to bring the LFC Foundation team to Qatar and to work with them to deliver a program that we hope will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children with disabilities within our local community for many years to come,” she added.

The program trained 40 coaches from different organizations in Qatar. “The training program provides coaches with the skills and expertise to deliver football based lessons to children with autism and other learning complex needs – including visually and hearing impaired as well as those with physical disabilities,” Neil Moors, Head of Community Development at WISH and who is leading the Respect 4 All, Qatar’ project told The Peninsula

Referring to the impact of the program he said, “The children who have been invited to the training sessions clearly had a great time – and in many cases, have enjoyed participating in team and ball sports for the first time. What matters now is that the network of coaches who have completed the course are able to implement their new skills across Qatar, thus creating the sustainability that the program and most importantly, the children, deserve.” 

The program follows on from a workshop held in May 2017 that was organized by WISH and delivered by LFC Foundation community coaches. At the May workshop, representatives from a variety of local government, health, and educational organizations were briefed on the skills required to set up successful training programs for children with autism. WISH’s collaborative work with the LFC Foundation is in line with its commitment to establishing a sustainable program that supports Qatar’s National Mental Health Strategy, ‘Changing Minds, Changing Lives 2013-2018’.