Between 80 to a hundred children and youth with disabilities will attend a five-day summer camp that aims to hone their skills and discover new talents.
Summer camp organizers expect more new campers to join the 12th Kamp Pag-asa slated April 8-12 at the Talomo Central Elementary School, Talomo district, this city. To qualify, campers must be within the mental age of 7-15 years.
The Davao City Council on Disability Affairs (CCDA) spearheads the yearly summer camp for children and youth with disabilities that intends to provide them opportunities for self and social enhancement and for social interaction.
Kamp Pag-asa overall coordinator Jose Allado said the camp brings forth the talents and capabilities of the special children, helping them “live a normal life.”
Allado urged parents of special children who keep their children at home, to allow their kids be exposed to social activities through the summer camp where the children will engage in dance, singing and sports activities, among others.
“A special child is a special gift of God to a family,” Allado told local media here on Wednesday during the Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Davao.
Allado shared that one of the most “gratifying” results of the camp is seeing parents exposing their children to the community, adding that it’s also rewarding for parents to see their children do other useful things.
He cited the case of a group of down syndrome children in Davao City that able to perform their talents in a public show. He said some of these children started in Kamp Pag-asa.
For this year, Allado said CCDA hopes that the camp will involve at least five different kinds of disabilities such as down syndrome, the visually and hearing impaired, autism, cerebral palsy, paraplegics, and manageable mentally challenged.
The 12th Kamp Pag-asa, which derives its name from the first Philippine eagle bred in captivity, banners the theme, “Batang may Kapansanan, Bahagi ng Lipunan.”
He said the camp also aspires to promote volunteerism among the youth who are urged to share their time, skills and love to care for and teach children with disabilities during the camp.
Kamp Pag-asa director Arnie Ronquillo said that about 120 volunteers, mostly students from medical schools, have signified joining the camp, and have undergone the first two-day training on March 5-6 at Davao Doctor’s College.
Ronquillo said the volunteers will have to complete another two-day training on March 12-13, in order for them to be allowed to attend the camp.
He said the training includes lectures on how to take care of children with special needs, how to deal with different peculiarities, sign language, camp dances and songs, among others.
Allado added that volunteers need to be well-trained and well-motivated, “for us to achieve the camp’s aim of developing the skills and teaching new skills to children with disabilities.”
Ronquillo, a teacher by profession, shared that he had been a volunteer for five years before becoming the overseer of the camp. “It’s been a passion to teach children,” he said.
Since 1999, CCDA has been spearheading the yearly Kamp Pag-asa which gets financial and logistics support from donations of private and government organizations and “benevolent individuals and enterprises in Davao City.”
CCDA is under the auspices of the Davao City Social Services Department Office (CSSDO), with members coming from various government agencies, non-government organizations and civil society groups.
CCDA is chaired by Mayor Sara Z. Duterte and co-chaired by Councilor Bernard Al-ag representing the Davao Jubilee Foundation, and Councilor Tomas Monteverde IV representing the government. [PIA 11/Carina L. Cayon]
