"SUMMER CAMP FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES EMPOWERS MONGOLIANS"

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Alumni from this year’s State Department-funded Sports United Exchange Program from the Mongolian Sitting Volleyball Association has organized the very first sports camp for disabled children in Mongolia. The news was published Monday on the US Embassy’s website. The camp, entitled “Children Our Future,” was a five-day summer camp in a national park outside of the capital city that expanded the horizons of the participants. Twenty secondary school children, ages 8-15, were selected to participate in the camp, which was funded through an Embassy local grant program. This was the first time that any of the children, who had different physical disabilities including epilepsy, mobility impairments, and vision impairments, to be away from their families and to know they have the potential to live independent lives as adults. More importantly, this was the first time that the children were included and encouraged to participate in sports, and they learned about the possibilities available to them through Paralympic sports. The Sports United Program Alumni were inspiring role models who encouraged participants to stay healthy, play sports, staying motivated, and to set goals. On the final day of the camp, Public Affairs Cultural Specialist Shannon Moore visited the camp and saw the results of the five-day camp.