Special Olympics Namibia: Windhoek, Namibia

Location: Katatura Community – Windhoek, Namibia

Host organisation: Special Olympics Namibia (SON)

Mission: To empower people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential and develop their skills through year-round sports training and competition.

Target population: Girls and boys with intellectual disabilities

Football-based programmes since: 1998

Centre Status: Pilot health and education programme plans under review; Land MOU drafted with National Ministry of Sport and Recreation

Football for Hope Implementing Partner/Client:

Special Olympics Namibia (SON)

Working Vision:

To empower people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential and develop their skills through year-round sports training and competition.

Client description:

Special Olympics Namibia (SON) was launched in 1998 and quickly became an accredited program under Special Olympics International (SOI). Since its inception, SON has been growing and expanding steadily. A year after its launch, twenty-eight coaches received training from Special Olympics Africa. These coaches in turn introduced Special Olympics to the different regions across the country, resulting in the development of at least seven different sub-programs throughout Namibia!

In 1999, only a year after it’s launch, Namibia was represented by four athletes at the World Games in North Carolina, USA.

In November of last year, SON held the first ever national track & field event at the Independence Stadium. Sixty athletes from around the country participated.
Following this, SON successfully held its National Soccer Event on the 27th of July. A total of eighty athletes participated in this event, which was used as a forum to select a team to represent Namibia at the Special Olympics World Games to be held in June in 2003.

From November 11th to 15th, Special Olympics Namibia successfully hosted the first-ever African Regional Soccer Event. Six Southern African countries from were represented.
Special Olympics Africa (SOA) has recently assisted in training ten Namibian athletes in speech training. This training continues and it is expected that the athletes will be able to speak at public meetings etc. displaying the abilities of people with mental disability, and helping to create awareness among the Namibian public about the great achievements of persons with disabilities.
A Namibian delegation returned from Dublin, Ireland on the 1st of July where they represented Namibia at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. The soccer team finished third brining back a bronze medal.

In 2006, Namibia was appointed as one of the three countries from the African Region to lead the Football For Hope Project in Africa.

In 2007, Special Olympics Namibia entered a football team in the Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Shanghai, China. The team finished with a Silver medal.

End-users: Girls and boys with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics Namibia Football for Hope Centre Key Objectives:

• Build a buddy system and unified peer education carried throughout!

• Stimulate practical application of life skills for youth with intellectual disabilities

• Bring down stigma of people with intellectual and physical disabilities, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) through unified activities!

• Mobilise youth in Namibia to embrace and appreciate people with intellectual and physical disabilities, and OVCs

Proposed Activities:

Football:

• Promote unified sports interactions at the Centre

• Facilitate training and competition in football for youth with intellectual disabilities

Education:

• Design a computer literacy course tailored to the skill levels of youth with intellectual disabilities that also helps integrate the practice of basic life skills

Health:

• Design and conduct an HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health course tailored to the needs of youth with intellectual disabilities.

• Conduct health screenings for Special Olympics Athletes

• Offer counselling for families of and youth with intellectual disabilities

Location:
Katatura Community – Windhoek, Namibia

Timeline for Construction:
6 months

Programme:
Competitors are challenged to design a small-size pitch (20m x 40m) with surrounding space for spectators (e.g. seating on elevated ground, etc.) as well as classrooms and media, health, conference and educational facilities that can offer young Africans the chance to further their scholastic and sporting education while providing health and social services. The Football for Hope Centres will be located on the sites of existing Football for Hope Implementing Partners, strengthening their activities in the community in order to improve basic education, prevent diseases and promote health as well as encourage the social integration of minorities and disadvantaged populations.

Design Considerations:

Participants are challenged to incorporate the needs of the community and to employ sustainable and/or local building materials and construction methods to realize their design. There is the potential to create shared services to the community at large, including access to water, power and other support services.

The artificial turf for the football pitch will be freighted to the site in two standardized shipping containers and are free to be utilized in the design if the designer chooses to do so.

Points to be taken into consideration in the concept phase: future prospect of these Centres, expanding in terms of capacity and infrastructure, creating a self-sustaining model for the host community group and becoming development hubs for the training of social entrepreneurs.

Space Considerations:

Football pitch (pre-defined size, equipment and look, delivered and installed by Greenfields)

• Size: Length 40 m and Width 20 m

• Surface: artificial turf, green

• Orientation: Preferred orientation of the field is with the goals facing N.N.W. and S.S.E.

• Goal: Placed in the middle of the goal line; Width 3 m between the goalposts; 2 m height (between crossbar and the ground); Goal posts 8 cm; Nets, made of hemp, jute or nylon; Depth of the goal shall be at least 80 cm at the top and 1 m at ground level; Goal placed solid in the ground.

• Boarding: Option between solid boarding and fence boarding. Approximately 1m high.

Community Components

• Classroom/Conference room (One large space that can be divided into 2-3 smaller multifunctional rooms by divisible walls. These rooms will be used for HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health education sessions with intellectually disabled youth. They will also be used for training Special Olympics volunteers and staff. Must be positioned with direct access to the football pitch. Should have built in cupboards or closet to secure classroom materials. )

• Basic Health Care Facilities (One to two rooms that will serve primarily as counselling rooms but could also be used as medical examination rooms or small classrooms. Two access points to ensure the privacy of an individual would be advantageous.)

• Computer Room (Up to 15 desktop computers available for use at one time for computer literacy sessions. Room must be secure.)

• Office for staff members

• Reception area

Other Components

• Two toilet blocks with change rooms(boys and girls)

• Rainwater catchment and management system

• Grandstand style seating around pitch (e.g. seating on elevated ground)

• Entrance Area and perimeter fencing

• Parking (for 3-5 vehicles inc. 2 mini-bus/vans)

• Integration in the local landscape requested

• Use of local materials and local community involvement requested

• Shipping Containers: The material for the football pitch will be delivered in two containers. These containers are for the use of the Centre and should become functional elements of the Centre. Investigate any local regulations on the use of containers in building structures.

General Considerations:

• Disability Access: Each room must be accessible to those with disabilities. Avoid designs that will limit an individual’s access to space.

• The Centre should be designed in a way that future expansion is possible. The idea is that the basic unit, as described above, develops over the years in regional development hubs/sustainable business.

• The building should be in close proximity to the pitch to create a visual and physical connection between the two entities.

• The site must be integrated into or situated near existing pedestrian routes, ensuring a continuous flow of individuals in and around the centre.

• The building site should be connected to existing community spaces, creating a communal and open atmosphere.

• Signage, vehicular access and parking, lighting, landscaping and services will be determined as part of the design process and included in the detailed site plan.

Total Area:
200 m2

Construction Budget: USD 85,000

Projected Timeline – 2009:

March 3rd : Request for proposal from invited architects

March 23rd : Conceptual Designs due by invited architects

April: Design workshops on site with client, architect and broader community

May: Design Development

June: Construction Documentation

July: Code and Building Permit Approvals

August - January: Construction

June 2010: 2010 FIFA World Cup