Digicel Samoa Ltd, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, are hosting the first ever Games of it’s kind to be held in the country that caters specifically for children for special needs. The Game will be known as DigiGames – a DigiCare initiative, which is part of Digicel’s service to the community.

The event will be held on Thursday 01 November 2007 to coincide with digicel’s celebration for one year of operation in Samoa. The games will be held at the Netball Stadium at the Apia Park from
9am-2pm.

It will serve the purpose to launch the partnership between the specialneeds community, DigiCare, and Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture. The main aim of these Games is to identify and then develop early students who have the potential to represent Samoa at the international sporting events such as the Special Olympics in the next four years.

Digicel Samoa was hoping to support an athlete to represent Samoa in this year’s Special Olympics in China, unfortunately and given limited time we could not identify anyone who meets the selection criteria. Hence Digicel Samoa limited through DigiGames is proposing to focus and assist on putting in place this programme, whereby all relevant stakeholders in Samoa can work together in developing future special needs athletes, and special needs development opportunities for Samoa.

The event is targeting students in 5-15 age group, from all special needs schools in the country as well as students enrolled in regular schools under the Ministry Of Education’s PRIDE Inclusive Education Programme. DigiGames will focus on Olympics sports. On the day of the event, Special needs athletes aged from 5-15 of all ability levels will complete in 20 different fun sports:

1. Sitting Volley Ball
2. Keep it Up
3. Goal Ball
4. Tunnel Ball
5. Overhead Bal
6. Circle Ball
7. Boccia (pronounced Botch-ya)
8. Bowling
9. Tennis
10. Steal the Nest

DigiGames is a DigiCare initiative to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic type sports foe children and adults with intellectual disabilities, and to give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Needs Athletes and the community.

DigiGames aims to build on current initiatives by the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture (MESC) is doing for the children with Special Needs through its Sport Ability Project.

The key objective of the Spot Ability project, according to MESC ACEO Sports Mr Seumanufata Semi Epati, currently focuses on developing the sporting and the physical capabilities of children with Special Needs through fun sport activities.

DigiGames aims to develop the sporting prowess of special needs students in Samoa in the hope of creating well-rounded and balance individuals. DigiGames is planned to be an on-going, long term initiative by Digicel in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and special needs community, for Special needs Children in Samoa.

“Since launching our services last year, it has been one of our priorities to give back to our communities equitably. It is clear for all to see that Digicel has done that to all levels of Samoa especially those sectors and members of our communities who are not as fortunate”, says Digicel Country Manager, Pepe Christian Fruean.

He adds that with this partnership, we want to achieve our main aim of sending a team to represent Samoa in the nest Special Olympics in 2011.

ABOUT DIGICARE

DigiCare is an exciting community involvement initiative that targets everyone in the communities, which are in desperate need of improvement. Digicel will be providing a seed fund and assistance with administration to community projects thought of by and for community. DigiCare is an initiate or facilitate community development programme with the collaboration and human resources of partners/NGOs/village councils, to initiate pro-activity in the community. Together we will be encouraging communities to submit proposals for funding of projects that involve:

These projects must center on the development in the community whether
it is:
- Caring for elderly Education programmes for youth.
- Developing programmes for special needs community.
- Projects that will provide tangible and measurable community development.

27 October 2007 Samoa Observer