International Medical Journal Highlights Qatar Foundation's Program

In its report, the British Medical Journal of Innovations (BMJ INNOVATIONS) sheds light on the success of the Community Ability Friendly Program which was organized by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development.

Community Ability Friendly Program, which is the first of its kind in the State of Qatar, focuses on physical activity for individuals of different abilities, through a variety of sports activities including swimming, cricket, and football classes specifically designed for children with autism, which have been adapted Also to cater to a wide range of individuals, including those with Down syndrome, hearing, visual, and physical disabilities, as well as learning disabilities, besides developing their abilities socially.

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) and the team responsible for the Community Ability Friendly Program co-authored the report entitled “The Road to Success: Lessons Learned from the Qatar Foundation Community Ability Friendly Program, which highlighted key challenges and strategies to facilitate the task of those who aspire to develop similar programs that promote inclusion for all.

During the report, data was collected on the performance of the Community Ability Friendly Program since its launch in 2018 to determine the extent of its development, and the survey, conducted by “WISH”, included the opinions of parents and caregivers of the program participants, in order to study the impact of the Community Ability Friendly Program on society in Qatar.

The results showed that more than 96 percent of the respondents noticed a positive change in the behavior of their children, including increased self-confidence, and improved communication skills, as a result of their participation in the program, and more than 98 percent of the respondents said that they would recommend the program to other parents who have children with special needs. It confirms the quality of the program and the high demand for such services in Qatar.

According to a research paper published by the website / PubMed / of the US National Library of Medicine, in 2019, most people with special needs do not regularly participate in sports, and their risk of developing non-communicable diseases is almost three times higher compared to the rest of society.

Commenting on this, Ms. Maha El-Akoum, Head of Content at WISH, said, “In 2016, WISH published a research report on Autism, and after examining the report’s findings, our team saw an opportunity to benefit from the support provided by Qatar Foundation through this program, which targets all abilities. Within the community in order to complete the Qatar National Autism Plan,” she added, “The results have been great, and the results of the latest study are very encouraging, and we hope to use them to motivate other similar initiatives.”

In 2017, WISH cooperated with the official charity of Liverpool Football Club to host a football training course in Education City at Qatar Foundation, with the aim of identifying effective ways to deal with children with autism, or who suffer from sensory or physical disabilities, and this initiative has become A starting point for the Community Ability Friendly Program on a large scale in Qatari society.