About the Campaign:
“20 Centres for 2010” is the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Its aim is to raise funds to create twenty Football for Hope Centres for public health, education and football across Africa. The centres will address local social challenges in disadvantaged areas and improve education and health services for young people. Read more about The Football for Hope Campaign

Location: Katatura Community – Windhoek, Namibia
Centre Host: Special Olympics Namibia (SON)
Mission: To empower people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential and develop their skills through year-round sports training and competition.
Beneficiaries: Girls and boys with intellectual disabilities. Young people with and without disabilities play together reducing stigma and prejudices. 350 direct beneficiaries of the fun day and awareness event. 266 young attending the different classes.
Football-based programmes since: 1998

About the Centre Host:
Special Olympics Namibia (SON) was launched in 1998 and quickly became an accredited program under Special Olympics International (SOI). Since its inception, SON has been growing and expanding steadily. A year after its launch, twenty-eight coaches received training from Special Olympics Africa. These coaches in turn introduced Special Olympics to the different regions across the country, resulting in the development of at least seven different sub-programs throughout Namibia!

• In 1999, only a year after it’s launch, Namibia was represented by four athletes at the World Games in North Carolina, USA.
• In November of last year, SON held the first ever national track & field event at the Independence Stadium. Sixty athletes from around the country participated.
• Following this, SON successfully held its National Soccer Event on the 27th of July. A total of eighty athletes participated in this event, which was used as a forum to select a team to represent Namibia at the Special Olympics World Games to be held in June in 2003.
• From November 11th to 15th, Special Olympics Namibia successfully hosted the first-ever African Regional Soccer Event. Six Southern African countries from were represented.
• Special Olympics Africa (SOA) has recently assisted in training ten Namibian athletes in speech training. This training continues and it is expected that the athletes will be able to speak at public meetings etc. displaying the abilities of people with mental disability, and helping to create awareness among the Namibian public about the great achievements of persons with disabilities.
• A Namibian delegation returned from Dublin, Ireland on the 1st of July where they represented Namibia at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. The soccer team finished third brining back a bronze medal.
• In 2006, Namibia was appointed as one of the three countries from the African Region to lead the Football For Hope Project in Africa.
• In 2007, Special Olympics Namibia entered a football team in the Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Shanghai, China. The team finished with a Silver medal.

About the Design:
The community center for Special Olympics Namibia (SON) will be located in Katatura an established settlement located just outside of the Windhoek.

The design brief calls for a small community centre that provides education and health programs, and addresses additional needs put forth by SON. Based on discussions with SON, the following outlines the added programs:

-Safe and secure grounds for athletes including universally accessible site access
-Visual security as well as basic theft and vandal protection
-Provide a multi-functional space for lessons and ICT training
-Ablutions that would be developed based on the occupancy of the centre
-Simple office space for all admin staff as outlined by SON
-Access and link to the Greenfields pitch

The design works around a fairly simple courtyard that is accessed between the Administration offices. The courtyard provides a spatial and visual link for safety considerations, between the multi-function room and the ablutions along the vertical axis and a link between the offices and field along the horizontal access. The placement of the offices in at the entrance provides additional visual security for the admin staff who have strong views from their desks of those entering and exiting the grounds as well as the athletes who are inside. The spaces adjacent to the offices have been allocated as ‘Private’ areas. The intention is that these could be used for more private meetings/lessons/discussions.

The various possible functions have been listed on the plan. Due to concerns safety concerns, the ablution block has a low walled system that allows athletes to use the ablutions in privacy, but provides the staff visual access should any other activity other than the intended purpose occurs.The offices are intended to be constructed from the recycled containers provided by Greenfields and accommodate basic administrative functions. They would allow maximum transparency to the outside. A small counseling room with a separate entrance has been allocated within the design.The structures have been designed with large overhangs to combat the harsh Namibian sun and provide shelter during the wet spring season. These buildings would be naturally ventilated and most likely make use of passive cooling systems.

Back to Football for Hope program overview