Dhiraagu Partners With MAPD To Host International Day of Persons with Disabilities Events

Dhiraagu has joined the Maldives Association of Persons with Disabilities (MAPD), an NGO to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. To commemorate the day, a series of unique events were organized at Kulhudhuffushi City in collaboration with Kulhudhuffushi City Council. This included a Health & Wellness camp and an inclusive sports festival to celebrate the inauguration of the first-ever National Paralympic Day.

The Health & Wellness camp was held in association with Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital and comprised medical screenings, therapies and awareness sessions for visitors. Consultations were delivered by a team of international and local specialists and consisted of consultants of different disciplines such as speech & hearing therapists, occupational and behavioural therapists, dentists, paediatric orthopaedic therapists and physiotherapists. The camp was very successful with more than 200 children and persons with disabilities from the area participating in the event.

The inclusive sports evening marked the first National Paralympic Day which was inaugurated by the Kulhudhuffushi City Mayor, Mohamed Athif. A total of 90 children from the city took part in the sports festival.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairperson of MAPD, Ahmed Mohamed expressed his gratitude to Dhiraagu and recollected how the Dhiraagu Special Sports Festival has played an instrumental role in providing a platform for the PWD community. In this regard, he noted that some athletes who regularly partook in the festival over the years have gained sufficient confidence to push their boundaries further and compete in international Paralympic sports which were facilitated by the formation of the Maldives Paralympic Committee.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Dhiraagu, Bishaara Hameed commented that Dhiraagu is elated to support the International Day of Persons with Disabilities activities in Kulhudhuffushi City and reflected on the fact that empowering vulnerable communities is a key highlight of their CSR programme. Dhiraagu has continued to empower young people and vulnerable communities through the provision of programme-based support and collaborations with NGOs.