Tribune News Network
Doha
A total of 200 students came together during summer this year to participate in a very unique summer camp taking place at HOPE Qatar Centre for Persons with Disabilities. At a time when parents of children and youth in Qatar try to keep their children engaged during the two long summer months, and with a host of institutions providing a range of camp activities of various nature, the camp conducted by HOPE distinguished itself in many ways.
This inclusive camp brought together neurodiverse children with a range of intellectual and learning disabilities from all over Qatar in a carefully curated programme interacting with their non-neurodiverse peers, their siblings and friends in their age group. For the very first time in Qatar a completely free camp with no fees was conducted to ensure that even children from the economically challenged families could participate in meaningful activities that promoted their social, physical, emotional and intellectual growth.
Not only was the camp attendance made free for any child or youth with disabilities from across Qatar, but it was also made free for the siblings of any such attendee, and also the complimentary camp attendance was extended to any of their friends who wanted to enrol with them. A total of one hundred students registered for the camp in the month of July and another hundred are now attending the camp in the month of August. With three weeks to go, the organisers have extended invitation to any other children with disabilities who are desirous of attending this camp to contact HOPE and enrol so that they too may benefit from this unique opportunity.
Speaking to the media, Dr. Rajeev Thomas, founder and managing director of HOPE Qatar Centre for Persons with Disabilities said "HOPE Qatar has always been a pioneer in introducing new concepts and approaches in providing opportunities for persons with disabilities in Qatar since its inception over eighteen years ago. This year we wanted to make the camp different and ensure that no child remains at home simply because their parents cannot afford to pay for camp activities. In a situation where some of the summer camps can be prohibitively priced, and when many persons are stuck in Qatar without sufficient funds to travel out on vacation, or are facing job losses and financial crunch at home, we decided that our summer camp at HOPE Qatar would be offered free without any fees for the participants.
"The response has been overwhelming, and some parents visiting the centre to enrol their children broke down when explaining their situation and how this camp will make it a meaningful summer for their child” he added. "Their blessings and prayers are the greatest payback that we can expect at HOPE Qatar, and this goodwill is the foundation on which our centre has been functioning since 2005.”
The camp includes various age-appropriate activities including arts and crafts, indoor sports, dance and movement, physical exercises, cooking without fire, creating decorations, presentation skills, computer based activities, and team building activities among the host of programmes scheduled to foster a high level of interaction. The social, emotional, physical and academic development of the participants is the main focus.
The camp is conducted under the theme ‘Building Friendships for Life,’ said Aparna Merugu, Academic Programmes Coordinator at HOPE Qatar Centre for persons with disabilities who is also the camp manager. "One of the challenges that children with disabilities face is that they do not have friends and socialising becomes difficult. Not many people are willing to make friends with children with disabilities. At HOPE Qatar we want to change that. With this in mind, we are bringing together children with disabilities, their siblings, and their friends in this free camp where they all build friendships and build a bond that will sustain beyond the camp.
"HOPE Qatar is also arranging a special interactive session for the parents of the children attending the camp to come together under a guided interactive session where they can meet each other, understand more about each other and their children, and most of all to become friends and to create a mutual support system among the families so that they can stay connected even after the camp concludes” she added. "In this manner these families can continue to meet and interact, and have various opportunities for these children to build friendships for life, and that is the main objective of conducting this free camp.”
The camp runs till the end of August and the organisers are open to welcoming more students with special needs who may be attending other camps, or have not had the chance to attend any camps during this summer, to join this ‘Friendships for life’ camp at HOPE Qatar for free, and to experience the ‘HOPE advantage’. More details about the camp can be had by contacting toll free number 800-HOPE (800-4673).