As part of its efforts to promote wellness, bonding and healthy lifestyle among special children in Lagos State, Special Olympics Nigeria in partnership with leading Oil and Gas company, ExxonMobil, recently organized a wellness with football games tagged ‘Skills For Life’ to boost healthy, cater for people with special needs and to commemorate the World Malaria Day 2017.
The event took place at Saint Finbarr’s College football pitch, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos which saw in attendance over 50 Special schools in Lagos state.
Speaking at the event, Sylvester Oboh, Project Coordinator Skillz For Life, Special Olympics Nigeria (SON), said the aim of the project is to create awareness for malaria and how deadly the disease is.
“A lot of people thinks Malaria is a mere disease, but a report from 2015 states that over 90% of Malaria cases are in Africa; that shows that there is need to create more awareness,” he said
“In marking the World Malaria Day, is to create more awareness, ensure that people get tested and get treatment if tested positive for the virus.
Speaking further on Skillz For Life and the football matches played and the partnership with ExonMobile, he added:
“Special Olympics Nigeria is an organization that caters for people with Special needs, intellectual disability and the project was organized to by SON with support of ExonMobile to educate people on HIV and Malaria for people with intellectual challenges.
“The football match played here today is a unified soccer where we partner Special and regular athletes. The football match is to kick Malaria out Nigeria.
He assured that SON would continue with the Skills For Life Project that has been ongoing for 12 years.
“SON Skills For Life Project has been on since 2015 and every quarterly, we have Family Health Forum, World Malaria Day and World Aids Day coming up in December and we will be having lots of family health forum where parents, athletes, partners and SON enlighten the people just as we are doing today.”
Special Olympics Nigeria is part of a worldwide movement (Special Olympics international) that is aimed at changing the misconceptions individuals have about people with intellectual disabilities (PWID). Our mission is to provide year round sports training and athletics competitions in a variety of Olympic – type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing continuous opportunities to develop physical fitness and skills required to manage day to day life.
Anthony Nlebem
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