Kafka Welfare Organisation in partnership with the Dream Together Masters Alumni hosted the 4th edition of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace webinar on the 6th of April. The webinar coincided with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace marked globally every year.
The webinar was moderated by Gobinath Sivarajah, Marketing and Media Manager of the National Olympic Committee in Sri Lanka, and included Sarah Moamen Abdelsamie, an IOC Young Leader and former professional volleyball player from Egypt, Deandra Farnita, a Sport for Development Practitioner and Researcher, currently working as a class supervisor in Norway, from Indonesia, Taymaa Qatamesh, a former national team football player, a football coach cum manager assistant from Palestine, Lawrence Tapiwa Kamukapa a sports administrator and co-founder of the Academy of Hope from Zimbabwe, Nashon Owano, a Sports Journalist, and Content Creator from Kenya and Pakistani Umair Rana, Founder of Kafka Welfare Organisation and reading PhD in University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada.
The key theme highlighted by the panellists included how sports contribute to SDGs and the challenges faced by sports for development and peace campaigns in developing countries. They also highlighted the role of sports in social development and its contribution to women’s empowerment, gender equality, and community building in the Global South. With stakeholders playing a crucial role in the growth of sports, the discussion centred on how more stakeholders should be involved in capacity-built sports initiatives in developing countries.
The session started with the IOC Young Leader and former professional volleyball player Sarah Moamen Abdelsamie highlighting some of the sports initiatives she has worked on in Egypt that target refugees and students to help them deal with mental health.
“The initiative combines physical health, mental health, and family network by helping them deal with family insecurities to help address the sustainable development goals.”
Speaking during the session Umair Asif, Founder of Kafka Welfare Organization underscored the role that sports play in promoting values and acting as a tool for creating an inclusive society
“As young leaders from the Global South, we understand that sports have the power to transcend boundaries and bring people together. Through sports, we can promote values such as teamwork, respect, and fair play, which are essential for building peaceful and inclusive societies. Let us harness the power of sports to drive positive change and create a brighter future for all.”
On his part, Lawrence Tapiwa Kamukapa a sports administrator and co-founder of the Academy of Hope pointed out the role that sports play in empowering and building stronger communities.
“Sports can play a vital role in fostering development and peace by promoting inclusivity, building bridges across communities, and empowering individuals and groups to overcome social, cultural, and political differences through healthy competition and cooperation.”
In underscoring the role of stakeholders in the development Mohammad Amer said that stakeholders are an important part of the sports development agenda.
“Collaboration between stakeholders is crucial to ensure sustainable development through sport, and SDP programs must be designed with a focus on the specific needs of communities they serve to ensure effectiveness to empower young people to become agents of change and create a more peaceful and equitable world,”
Gobinath Sivarajah the moderator of the day emphasized more on the need for sustainability of sports initiatives and programs.
“The sustainability of the SDP programs is very important to inculcate the values and create positive vibes among the vulnerable groups through a continuous process. Therefore, the implementors should play their roles seriously by developing strategic plans to conduct the programs for the long run,”
Taymaa Qatamesh a former national team football player, reiterated the need for SDP programs to address social and health issues that touch on more people in society.
“There is a need to incorporate more pertinent issues that affect the community in SDP programs so that the youth can feel more engaged an important aspect that could provide sustainability for such programs.”
While acknowledging the need to practice community involvement in setting up Sports initiatives Deandra Fanita a Sport for Development Practitioner and Researcher, reiterated the role of involving the community in setting up and running sports initiatives.
“Sports academies should have community dialogues and involvement where they exist because they are the key component of the society that could define the success of the initiatives by making the locals feel involved in SDP programs in the community.”
In addressing the role that the media plays in enhancing the image of SDP programs Nashon Owano a Sports Journalist, and Content Creator from Kenya pointed out that the media could either guarantee the success of SDP programs or their failure.
“The media has a big role in the success and failure of SDP programs when the initiatives are portrayed in good light this could encourage more people to join sports. When the programs are pained in a bad light this could attract more stakeholders.”
Focus now shifts to the fifth annual event by the DTMA to commemorate the International Day of Sport Development and Peace will be on April 6, 2024.
The complete webinar discussion is available at https://www.facebook.com/Kafkawo/videos/601451108304329/
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