GIZ holds Open Fun Days with 200 Jordanian, Syrian children

AMMAN — Marking the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), commissioned by the German federal ministry of economic cooperation and development, on Friday organised an “Open Fun Day” at Sport’s City, bringing together 200 Jordanian and Syrian kids, including a number of children with special needs.

Split into four groups of 50 participants, the participants engaged in four stations offering different exercises, each team aiming to win the overall competition.

“I am delighted to support and participate in the International Day of Sport for Development in Jordan. As a former national player, values like fairness, respect, cooperation and team spirit have always been extremely important to me on and off the football pitch,” said Renate Lingor, a member of the German women’s national football team, which won two world championships and three European cups.

She said sport is an opportunity to bring people together and reach goals in the spirit of team effort. 

According to GIZ’s head of programme, Henning Schick , the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding.

“Creating a historical link to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, April 6 was declared the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by the UN General Assembly in 2013, and has been celebrated each year since 2014,” he noted, adding that the GIZ Sport for Development programme celebrated the event for the first time in Jordan this year, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. 

“We also cooperate with local partners like the Jordan Football Association, the Jordan Olympic Committee, Generations for Peace, PACES, the Asian Football Development Project, Madrasati, Right to Play and World Relief,” Schick underlined.

Training manuals for coaches and teachers have also been prepared for football, handball, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee, Schick noted. 

Furthermore, the GIZ continues to cooperate with political, sports and civil society stakeholders to train teachers, coaches and social workers in the use of sport as a tool to support the development of children’s personalities and foster their social skills. 

“We will also launch a ‘Sportsbus’ in May which is equipped with different sports material and will drive through the whole of Jordan to bring sport activities to remote schools and communities,” Schick said.

While children will enjoy fun sports based activities, teachers, coaches and social workers will participate in workshops on the Sport for Development method, learning how to use sports to promote social skills and a healthy lifestyle in a fun way, Schick concluded.