HOPE Qatar Centre for Persons with Disabilities has launched a pan-Qatar inter-school and inter-college championship to raise awareness, shift mindsets, and build a more inclusive generation.
The championship is designed to reach more than 200,000 school and college students across Qatar, with approximately 5,000 shortlisted participants progressing to the championship stage.
Through creativity, communication, performing arts, visual expression, and other student-led activities, the initiative aims to encourage young people to understand disability, challenge misconceptions, and recognise the abilities, contributions, and aspirations of persons with disabilities.
The Sadeeqi Inclusion Championship is founded on a simple belief: lasting inclusion begins with a change in mindset, and that change can begin in schools and colleges.
“Schools and colleges are among the most powerful environments for shaping attitudes and values,” said Dr Rajeev Thomas, founder and chief mentor of HOPE Qatar.
“By introducing students to the concepts of disability, accessibility, empathy, equality and inclusion at an early age, the initiative seeks to nurture a generation that does not simply understand disability but actively embraces differences and recognises the value of every individual,” he added.
“Through this unique, first-of-its-kind championship in Qatar, students are encouraged to move beyond awareness towards acceptance, understanding, friendship and meaningful inclusion.”
The Sadeeqi Inclusion Championship 2026 forms part of HOPE Qatar’s celebration of 20 years of creating opportunities for persons with disabilities and advocating for a society where every individual has the opportunity to learn, participate, contribute and belong.
The initiative also reflects the aspirations of Qatar National Vision 2030, particularly the development of a cohesive, inclusive society that values human potential and ensures opportunities for all.
With thousands of young people participating directly and hundreds of thousands reached through the wider initiative, Sadeeqi aims to create a ripple effect that extends beyond classrooms and campuses, reaching families, educators and the wider community.
The championship is envisioned not as a one-time competition, but as a movement towards a more informed and accepting society.
As Qatar continues to strengthen its position as a global platform for disability inclusion, including the upcoming Global Disability Summit in 2028, initiatives such as Sadeeqi can help ensure that the conversation around disability reaches the next generation.
“The aspiration is to see more students who understand disability, more children who accept differences naturally, more educators who champion inclusion, and a society where persons with disabilities are recognised not by their limitations, but by their abilities, aspirations and contributions” said Dr Rizwanah Adeebh, Partnership Officer at HOPE Qatar.
“Sadeeqi Inclusion Championship 2026 therefore carries a message that extends far beyond the competition. It is a reminder that differences should never be barriers to friendship, understanding, and belonging because, no matter how different we may be, we can still understand one another, learn from one another, and, most importantly, become friends. And this is Sadeeqi – Friends Beyond Differences” she added.
Through Sadeeqi, HOPE Qatar invites schools, colleges, students, educators, and the wider community to join this journey and help build a Qatar where inclusion is not simply an ideal, but a way of life.
“As part of the nationwide competitions that are scheduled to be conducted for college students on 23 and 24 October, and for school students on 30 and 31 October, contestants will indulge in various events including painting, poster making, debates, elocution, creative writing, video making, reel making, singing, miming, and a host of other events” said Asha Shiju, consultant and mentor at HOPE Qatar.
“Each event will be based on a topic related to disability and making friends with persons with disabilities”.