Summer camp with a difference

As many as 200 students have come together for a unique summer camp at HOPE Qatar Centre for Persons with Disabilities, a statement said Friday.The inclusive camp, running until the end of August, caters to neurodiverse children with a range of intellectual and learning disabilities, in a curated programme interacting with their non-neurodiverse peers, their siblings and friends in their age group.The camp with no fees ensures that even children from the economically challenged families could participate in meaningful activities that promoted their social, physical, emotional and intellectual growth.The camp attendance is free for any child or youth with disabilities, along with their siblings and friends from across Qatar.While 100 students registered for the camp in July, another 100 are attending the camp in August.With three weeks to go, the organisers have extended invitation to any other children with disabilities who are desirous of attending the camp to benefit from the opportunity.Dr Rajeev Thomas, founder and managing director, 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 18 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. The response has been overwhelming, and some parents visiting the centre to enroll their children broke down when explaining their situation and how this camp will make it a meaningful summer for their child,” he added.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 and 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."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,” she concluded.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. More details about the camp are available from the toll free number 800-HOPE (800-4673), the statement added.