“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision,” says Hellen Keller.
Parent Advocates for Visually Impaired Children (PAVIC), a non-stock, non-profit organization that envisions a fulfilling future for visually impaired children—with equal opportunity and access to all activities in life, in cooperation with JCI Manila, a premier leadership development organization, is holding one of the biggest sports events for visually impaired children this coming March. Named VISTA Games (an acronym for Visually Impaired Sports Training & Advocacy), the said event is part of the two organizations’ efforts to create awareness for the challenges faced by visually impaired children all over the world.
Now in its 10th year, VISTA Games’ goal is to help these children develop a healthy lifestyle while providing development opportunities that create positive change.
The said event will feature sports activities such as swimming, track and field, chess, goalball, and showdown (a modified version of table tennis). 300 to 400 visually impaired athletes, aged 5 to 19 years old, all over the Philippines are expected to participate in this one-day event, which will be held at Marikina Sports Center on March 9, 2018 from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
In the Philippines, 60% of children will die within one year of becoming blind and the remainder will, on an average, spend 40 years without sight. Moreover, about 90% of blind children are not able to have access to proper education, greatly hindering them from achieving their full potential.
Children who are visually impaired are typically excluded from physical activities, which cause them to have low self-esteem and a weak physique. This is also the reason why children who are visually impaired are more susceptible to health conditions, such as bone and muscle weakening, obesity, and diabetes. This is something that we wish to change through our continuous efforts.
To make this event successful, we have a Sponsor an Athlete program wherein for Php 500 you can sponsor 1 child to participate in the games. If you wish to donate or have any questions about VISTA Games, you can contact Charles Mendoza at +63917-7944322 or email at charlesmmendoza@gmail.com.
