QF signs agreement to promote autism plan

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) and Qatar Autism Families Association (QAFA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) advancing the Qatar National Autism Plan.
The MoU intends to provide socially inclusive opportunities for those with autism and their families at QF facilities, particularly sports and leisure activities.
The agreement was signed by Machaille al-Naimi, president, Community Development, QF, and Fatima al-Sulaiti, chair, QAFA.
Also present was Sultana Afdhal, acting CEO of WISH.
“We have been working with QAFA for some time now, particularly over the summer months when we hosted a number of hugely popular activities initiated by WISH,” al-Naimi said.
“The signing of this MoU is the culmination of that work and provides the framework for these and other events to continue on a year-round basis, providing much needed opportunities for inclusive sports and leisure participation.”
WISH, in partnership with Qatar Foundation’s Community Development, introduced a number of activities, primarily for QAFA, during 2017 to address the growing need for social and sports facilities to be made available to children with autism. These included swimming classes, horse riding lessons, and special football sessions with coaches from the Liverpool Football Club Foundation. 
Beyond sports and leisure activities, the agreement also provides an opportunity for WISH and QAFA to collaborate towards the advancement of autism spectrum disorder research in Qatar. 
“We are keen to collaborate in a number of important areas beyond the sports and leisure initiatives that have already been initiated, including lectures and workshops, research awareness through community outreach events, and conducting studies to capture families’ experiences with national healthcare services,” Afdhal said.
“We are delighted and grateful that Qatar Foundation is opening up its recreation facilities for our families so that children, as well adults, with autism and other complex needs, can enjoy the health benefits of sports activities all year round. The summer activities organised by WISH were a great way to integrate children with autism into activities that they are often marginalised from, in a free and interactive learning environment,” al-Sulaiti noted.