With few resources for therapy and none for prosthetic limbs, Ismail’s parents sought something that their otherwise athletic son could pursue to fill his time and purpose.
In entered Amel Kapo. Kapo is a sports academy graduate that started a free swimming class for disabled children in the nearby town of Sarajevo, about 45 minutes away from Ismail’s hometown.
“My goal was to bring children with disabilities into the open,” Kapo said. “Yes, their bodies might be different but if you give them an opportunity to prove themselves they know how to take it and use it.”
The club, called SPID, is the only swimming club for children with disabilities in Bosnia.
“When (disabled children) can see that they can do as anyone else can do, it lifts their confidence level (and) then there is nothing they cannot do.”
Studies show that 6.5 percent of Bosnian children aged from two to nine years has some kind of disability. While there are still few resources in Bosnia that cater to their wellbeing, organizations like SPID are there to fill in the gap.
smail’s awesome adaptive swimming in the video below! The little guy plans to compete at the world para-swimming championship to be held in Germany later this year.
We’re pulling for you Ismail!
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