India’s Bommidala Group and Swiss research agency m1nd-set, have both renewed their support in 2018 for the Soulcial Trust’s wheelchair sports programmes and the trust has received new sponsorship from the UK-based Edrington Group and duty free association TFWA via its charity arm TFWA CARE.

Thanks to their generous support, Soulcial Trust – a Siem Reap-based NGO focusing on social and environmental issues –  is able to continue and expand its XLability adaptive sports programme in both Cambodia and India.

Soulcial Trust’s activities aim to educate, engage, and empower people with disability and disadvantaged communities.

The latest funding will go towards the development of adaptive sports and other related projects in the Soulcial Trust ‘XLability’ disability awareness and empowerment programme, which includes an educational course, inclusive sports, an international wheelchair sports exchange, and employment support.

BALI TOURNAMENT

Wheelchair basketball, one of Soulcial Trust’s long-term initiatives, facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into society and provides a platform where people with and without disabilities alike can socialise.

Soulcial Trust blind football training in Siem Reap.

“With the support from the travel retail industry, players will also have the opportunity to partake in an upcoming international tournament held in Bali, Indonesia in July,” says the trust.

“In India, the Trust will be launching indoor sports training, for both wheelchair basketball and rugby. This will be a game-changer for the players who until now train outdoors and are not able to train for weeks at a time due to the intense heat and monsoon season.”

In addition to wheelchair basketball in Cambodia, Soulcial Trust has successfully launched twice weekly blind football training sessions with approximately 20 visually impaired students aged from 8-15 at local NGO school Krousar Thmey.

FACILITATING SOCIAL INCLUSION

“Students have rapidly developed their skills and confidence in the past few weeks’ rigorous training sessions, thanks in part to the professional training course Soulcial Trust was able to provide its blind football coach, a Khmer speaking French national,” adds the trust.

“The further we develop our disability programme, the more we realise how important the needs are for the disability community to be heard and for their challenges to be addressed,” says Julie Webb, Soulcial Trust’s Programmes Director.

“The tight links between social inclusion, employment and access to basic needs point out the necessity to work on all those aspects simultaneously to ensure a higher and more sustainable impact on the communities.

“We address a variety of challenges brought about by social exclusion and prejudices. Soulcial Trust adopts a holistic and comprehensive approach, designing a wide range of connected projects. The disability programme also includes an education course for school children and an employment support project. These projects complement the development of adaptive sports, facilitating social inclusion through awareness and empowerment.”