10 Years of Equipping Changemakers in Stellenbosch

We are excited to team up with Dorothea Special School to empower more children through healing centered sport. Their aim is to safeguard and equip changemakers with special needs, and to build a healthier more inclusive community. Our very own Lorenzo Claassen lives next door to the school, and delivers weekly futsal sessions at Dorothea for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as children with Severe Intellectual Disability (SID).

“Before my current role at training4changeS I worked at Dorothea, so some of the kids already know me,” Lorenzo says. “It is nice to be back, to see the smiles on the kid’s faces and the excitement when I arrive there. I saw the need at the school; there is not a lot of people coming in to help so I just want to be there and use my experience to help in the sport capacity.”

His fun-filled sessions help children build cognitive, sensory, motor and emotional skills. Being on the pitch together also helps the children develop their social skills. “The perception exists that learners on the ASD Spectrum, do not socialize easily across the board, but with this initiative of traing4changeS those boundaries are demolished,” says Mike Mouries, Departmental Head at Dorothea. “Now kids are making friends with each other and getting new opportunities, they are all one big futsal family.”

“The difference that we are making through futsal is important,” Lorenzo adds. “The main thing we can do is help to break barriers. We also want to raise awareness to encourage other people to get involved helping at special needs schools.”

This exciting collaboration is supported by Liga Paulista de Futsal from Sao Paulo, Brazil who also runs their own futsal initiatives for young people with special needs. “training4changeS is a great positive example,” says Liga Paulista Coordinator Daniel Graça. “We love their work. Helping children with special needs through futsal is very important for us.”