Manzini – The President of the Federation of Organisations of Disabled Persons in Eswatini (FODSWA), Mphumelelo Khumalo, has commended the Manzini Municipality for staging inclusive games, competitions, learning and social interaction at the city.
This comes after The Manzini Municipality, in partnership with AMICAALL, Young Heroes and Georgetown organised the second edition of its sports day last week for persons with disabilities, bringing together participants from across the Manzini region. The event forms part of ongoing efforts to promote inclusion, health awareness and community engagement for persons with disabilities.
Khumalo said the event promoted unity and peer-to-peer learning while at the same time enabled persons with disabilities to strengthen networks and showcase initiatives that uplift their livelihoods. “This is an opportunity where we interact with each other,” he said.
The Manzini Municipality Community and Customer Engagement Manager, Mathokoza Thwala, said the event featured a wide range of activities tailored to accommodate different abilities and interests.
“We had a variety of games, skipping rope, basketball, netball, soccer, draft, to mention a few,” he said. Thwala added that they managed to attract about 70 persons with disabilities participating in the games.
Beyond sports, the programme also included educational components aimed at empowering participants with vital health and safety information. Thwala said the Municipality ensured that attendees received knowledge on HIV and AIDS prevention.
“We also provide classes on HIV/AIDS on how they can prevent themselves from getting infected,” he noted.
He further highlighted the contribution of Georgetown, which educated participants on issues of gender-based violence and their rights within their homes. Thwala also expressed gratitude to sponsors who supported the event.
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