Liberia has won gold in their first ever Special Olympics..
EHIABOM SALIM ASSAF won Gold in the 200metres and is congratulated here by Maureen and the Liberian delegation, heartfelt congratulations on his achievement.
Can you imagine how exciting this is?
Preparations are well underway as you can see from the films of the Opening Ceremony and the pictures below.
All the athletes are subject to fitness tests at a basic level and receive brand new kit for taking part
Underway in Abu Dhabi
The Liberian team of 3 are now in Abu Dhabi and participating in the Special Olympics, the world’s largest humanitarian sporting event. The opening parade of the Olympics is featured below:
We hope to issue further live updates from Maureen and Theresa who are at the event. In the meantime the link to results and our athletes can be found HERE
Maureen, resolutely and passionately believed that if the Liberian children could be included they could not only represent their country by showing their amazing performance skills in a positive light on a World Stage, but they could also be an inspiration to other children in Liberia, especially those who are marginalised with disabilities, allowing them to become accepted within their own communities and within their own homes.
During his time in Liberia, Sean used sport as a platform for peace, breaking down barriers and helping children including those with disabilities become widely accepted
Knowing that the programme will become sustainable after the Games was fundamental in supporting the Liberian team.
The team is managed by the Rev Caleb who knew Sean from his time in Liberia.The full training team is 9 and they are already a vital part of the community and they will be cheering on their three friends who made the 10,000 mile trip!
Departure Day
A momentous day in the lives of these young people as the Liberian team leave Roberts International Airport on way to the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi.
From an Atlantic training camp to Abu Dhabi!
Whilst Mark and Theresa are visiting our schools and projects in Liberia, the Liberian Special Olympics team are completing their final training programme on the Atlantic coast prior to completing a 10,000km trip to Abu Dhabi.
The Special Olympics is a competition for young people with Intellectual Disabilities and Liberia will be represented for the very first time in just a week or so. The pictures below and these two films (film1), (Film 2) show you that they are working really hard, ready for this huge adventure.
We will be updating this site regularly and reporting more fully in our Spring Newsletter at the end of the month but send our best wishes to these tremendous young people and their support team.
*** click on the blue links to see the films in this section
Special Olympics: The big day nears!
As previously reported the Fund has helped with our young Liberian athletes as they prepare to represent Liberia for the very first time in Abu Dhabi in mid-March.
What a fantastic opportunity and how exciting! Our correspondents in Abu Dhabi ( Maureen and Theresa Devereux) will be reporting directly but in the meantime here is some press coverage from Africa online.
Liberia-March 2019
Mark and Theresa Chatterton are re-visiting Liberia one year on from the last Trustees visit and are delighted to see old friends and great progress in our Brewerville School.
All our efforts as sponsors and supporters are about helping children to benefit from education and these pictures vividly illustrate the rewards and challenges involved.
The picture of the Library features 1000 books that your funds have purchased recently and starkly contrast with just 12 months ago where barely a book was visible in the same room.
We will post further updates in the next few days and a full report when Mark and Theresa return.
Great fun, 350 people and £2400 raised!
The 2019 quiz night was held on Saturday 9th February at the Salesian College and raised a staggering £2400 for the Fund.
As ever it proved to be a hugely enjoyable event for 40 teams taking part in this annual test of trivia.
The Class of 82 defended their title valiantly despite being numerically disadvantaged, once again challenging for the prize right to the end. However, in a repeat of their 2016 triumph, “Don’t forget the Nuts” (pictured below) saw off all competition to claim the Prosecco.
A huge thank you to Mark and Theresa Chatterton who organised the event with great support from Sally, Jane and vitally the Salesian College PTA. Without their active support before and during the event it would not be such a success and the Fund is hugely grateful.
Restocking the bar twice on the same night was almost the equivalent of RAF mid-air re-fuelling and deserves great credit!
As ever Nick Crean put Alexander Armstrong to shame with his quizzing expertise and we are really grateful for his professionalism and the support of his team.
Finally, thank you to all attendees who contributed to raising such a fantastic sum.
Special Olympics: Training in Liberia
In our recently newsletter we announced that a small team from Liberia would take part in the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi this Spring. This would be the first time that Liberia has ever entered a team in this landmark occasion, a multi-sports event for children with intellectual disabilities.
The Fund has supported this initiative in a small way to help these young children train for the event and in supporting them on their return, a key pre-requisite of entering a team in the Olympics.
Training is under way in earnest as you can see from the pictures below and we wish the team every success in March.
Sean is honoured by new Battersea initiative
Maureen was delighted to be recently invited to the opening of a new resource building at St John Bosco School in Wandsworth.
The new Devereux Centre was opened by the Head, Paul Dunne and Maureen on the 15th January.
“The centre is a targeted specialist resource base provision for young people who have an Education Health and Care Plan specifying Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Disorder needs as a prime need, and who have complex mental health needs including high levels of anxiety, eating disorders, phobias or self-harming behaviours.
“In an ever-changing world it is right that educational resources are constantly evolving and I am delighted that this new resource will continue to help children who most need it and for the honour of it being named after Sean” said Maureen.