IAWA Joins Forces with Special Olympics South Africa
Under our core principle of social responsibility, I Am, We Are (IAWA) seeks to build a sense of civic duty in our Ambassadors, while developing leadership skills and a spirit of volunteerism through community action projects. Recently, our Alumni Ambassadors had the opportunity to continue putting this principle into practice by attending a Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) Young Athletes Coaches training at Temogo Special School in the North West Province of South Africa.
Three of IAWA’s Alumni Ambassadors, Otshepeng, Petronella and Tshwetso, had the opportunity to learn and interact with Special Olympic Athletes at the Young Athletes transitioning training and mini basketball practical session that took place in August. SOSA Initiatives Manager, Wanga Manyala, shared with us on what a great encounter this was for him. He was amazed “to see young people like the youth leaders from IAWA, take charge, show consistency during the training as well as be eager to learn whilst interacting with our athletes.”
IAWA’s relationship with SOSA dates back to when our Founder, Meisha Lerato Robinson, served as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in South Africa in 2012. She was assigned to support SOSA’s World Cup Soccer Tournament that was hosted by the Royal Bafokeng Nation. She later launched IAWA in the Royal Bafokeng Nation and has continued to support SOSA.
SOSA CEO Ancilla Smith reflected, “It is so exciting for me to have been there from the beginning to see the birth and growth of I Am, We Are, and to have it come full circle to this point where we are able to partner with some of the youth that were there from the beginning and the organization as a whole. This partnership speaks so much to the power of youth activation and what can be done when they are empowered. I cannot wait to see what we can achieve together to create more inclusive communities in South Africa.”
As part of IAWA’s ongoing commitment to support SOSA, last year IAWA’s Alumni Ambassadors and Youth Facilitators volunteered at SOSA’s Health Forum and Screening at Iteko Special School and in 2019 supported SOSA’s Polar Bear Plunge. SOSA Marketing Coordinator Nomthandazo Dladla, shared that “working with the IAWA group at the Special Olympics South Africa Polar Plunge, was amazing. The youth leaders arrived on the day of the event blended in well with the SOSA team, took on roles and helped with the running of the event. Working with these young enthusiast was an absolute joy and we look forward to working with them in our future events.”
Volunteering with SOSA has been an uplifting experience that has equally positively impacted the Athletes and the Alumni Ambassadors. One of the Alumni Ambassadors is even interested in studying to become an Auditory Specialist because of her experiences at SOSA’s Healthy Athletes Training.
“The reason I chose to volunteer with the Special Olympics was motivated by the desire to understand why Special Olympics is only held at special schools and find out more about how they work. We learned about a condition called baby blue syndrome and how some babies are born with it or develop it at an early age. The experience taught me more about the resources accessible to children with special needs,” shared Alumni Ambassador Petronella. “I found it a lot of fun to register athletes as soon as they came through, hoping to give assistance with the struggles they are facing,” she added.
IAWA Founder of Chief Executive of Hope, Meisha Lerato also remarked that, “what I've learned over the years working with Special Olympics is that people with intellectual disabilities constitute a community that is frequently overlooked due to their disabilities rather than their abilities, and we owe it to them to connect with their abilities. The Special Olympics Athletes have shown me the true beauty of humanity.”
SOSA was established in 1991 and today has over 45,000 talented athletes across South Africa competing in 18 sporting codes. Its mission is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of sports of the Olympic-type for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. SOSA also gives athletes opportunities to improve fitness, show bravery, feel joy, and share skills with other Special Olympics athletes, families, and the community, through on-going opportunities for individual enrichment and community involvement.