OSHAKATI: Preparations are underway for the 10th edition of the annual Elombe Sports Tournament set to take place from 28-30 December 2023.
This year, the village tournament will feature sports codes such as football, volleyball, netball and chess and is open to all teams across Namibia.
Tournament organizer member Mike Ashipala told Nampa that the event serves as a platform to engage young people in sports activities, nurturing their talents and providing them with an opportunity to showcase their skills.
‘Beyond the sporting aspect, the event also plays a vital role in bolstering the local economy by providing a market for various small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within Elombe, and an avenue to showcase their products and services to a wider audience,’ he said.
He added that through this initiative, the Elombe Sports Tournament continues to demonstrate its dedication to not only promoting sports and healthy living but also to uplifting the community as a whole.
Thus, the tournament’s proceeds
will be donated to the local school, further supporting the region’s educational initiatives and infrastructure development.
Ashipala further said an amount of N.dollar 30 000 was invested for the successful tournament hosting, noting that this year’s three-day event will be exciting and enriching, bringing together athletes, spectators, and local businesses.
The Blue City FC from Iikokola Village are the current champions.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
Mrs Georgina Aberese-Ako, Acting Upper East Regional Director, Department of Children, has advised parents and major stakeholders to create an equal and conducive environment for children, particularly those with special needs to develop and thrive.
She observed that often, parents with disabled children or children with special needs tend to confine them away from the public and deny them access to opportunities like all other children.
Such a practice, she underscored, was unacceptable and an infringement on the rights of those children and denying them the opportunity to unearth their immense potential.
‘Mostly, we hide children with special needs in rooms thinking they are spirit children, and they should not be treated like the other children but no matter the condition, every child should be treated like human beings and those children have rights,’ he said.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Acting Regional Director encouraged parents, especially those with children with special needs
to enrol them in schools and give them the platform to explore the world to develop their potential and contribute significantly to the development of society.
‘The education policy says that at age four every child should be in kindergarten one and kindergarten two when the child is five years old, preparing them for formal education. So let every child enjoy his or her rights no matter the condition of that child,’ she stressed.
Mrs Abereseke-Ako said as part of activities to mark this year’s World Children’s Day on the theme: ‘For Every Child, Every Right,’ the Department undertook community sensitisation in the Nabdam District as well as collaborated with the National Commission for Civic Education to educate some school children in Garu on the rights and responsibilities of a child.
Mrs Aberese-Ako explained that parents had the responsibility to ensure that they provided for the needs of their children and urged them to prioritise the welfare of their children by investing in their education.
She id
entified superstitions surrounding children with special needs, harmful cultural practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, and child exploitation among others as major challenges facing the development of children in the region.
She, therefore, called on stakeholders including government, non-governmental organisations, traditional authorities, and parents to view child protection as a collective responsibility and work to remove all barriers that would create an equal environment for the empowerment of all children.
Source: Ghana News Agency