Activity Day
Hello, my name is Amira and I'm 28 years old. I was one of the students who went on exchange to Dar Es Salaam through NOREC, at Uhuru Primary School. We worked with two different units: the deafblind and children with intellectual disabilities.
Every Thursday, we had an activity day for all the children in the class with intellectual disabilities. The children were of various ages and had different abilities and backgrounds. It was quite different from the school system in Norway compared to Tanzania. Nevertheless, it was fantastic to see how the children supported and helped each other during the activities.
Our experiences directly align with the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRPD emphasizes the right to inclusive education for persons with disabilities, ensuring equal access and participation. By organizing inclusive activities and setting up different stations to meet diverse needs, we applied the CRPD's principles of accessibility and reasonable accommodation.
Similarly, the CRC underscores every child's right to education and participation in activities that promote their development and well-being. Our initiative to plan activities based on the children's interests and abilities reflects the CRC's emphasis on promoting the child's right to play, leisure, and recreation, while the inclusive nature of our activity day embodies the CRC's principle of non-discrimination and the right of every child to develop to their fullest potential.
It was clear that the children looked forward to the activity day every week. Initially, we divided ourselves between the groups to observe and interact with the children. Due to the limited number of teachers, all nine students had to participate in the activity days since there could be up to 60 children present.
The activity day became our opportunity to organize and conduct activities independently. We started by identifying the activities that the children enjoyed the most, and then we planned the day based on their interests. Despite the challenges and limited resources, the children enthusiastically participated in the activity day.
To make the day extra enjoyable, we brought speakers to the school and played music so the children could dance and have fun. Taking responsibility for and organizing the activity day helped us build a strong relationship with the children. It was wonderful to see how all the children included each other and had a great time together.