By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Paralympic Committee (MPC), the sports body responsible for people with disabilities, conducted a Para Sport Awareness program on Friday, September 27, 2024. The program aimed to empower women and girls with disabilities at their training center in Area 10, Lilongwe.
Over 30 participants, including women and girls, were drawn from different parts of Lilongwe’s community and townships, including Areas 50, Likuni, 23, 18, Kauma, and 12.
The participants underwent orientation in areas such as the importance of participating in various sporting activities despite their disabilities.
During her presentation, Malawi Paralympic Committee General Secretary, Memory Baluwa, stated that the body decided to take sports to communities instead of just focusing on schools.
“Sport is a fundamental right, hence the need for participation for all. In the country, women and girls are lagging behind, hence this initiative.
“I have also emphasized the need for discipline by respecting their guides and self-reliance,” Baluwa said.
One participant, Learn Tambala from Area 49, hailed the Malawi Paralympic Committee for the platform.
The Malawi Paralympic Committee is conducting this awareness program with funding from the United Nations-based organization, Anita White Foundation (AWF), which promotes women in sports.
Meanwhile the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 CEO, Stanley Mutoya, commended the Malawi Paralympic Committee for emphasizing inclusion activities.
“The athletes who participated in the Paris-France 2024 Paralympic games from Malawi and other regional countries, and the medals we won, show we’re on the right track in promoting inclusion and fighting stigma in sports,” explains Mutoya.
