DUBAI Faiz Moosa is just 15 years old but he is up with a task which not many would have really put their thoughts into. Growing up as a kid in Atlanta, USA it was not surprising that Faiz loved to play baseball so was his youngest brother Armaan Moosa, who is just eight years old.
But it was their other brother Faraz Moosa, 11-years-old, a specially challenged kid who always was there watching them play from the sidelines. This was noticed by Faiz, who decided to do something for his younger brother after his parents shifted their base from the US to Dubai.
Faiz continued to play baseball after joining the Dubai Little League (DLL) and with their support the Dubai Challengers League took shape.
“I felt he should also get a chance to play and be out there and enjoy and experience like us. So with the help of my coach Joe Lebrato and DLL we were able to put together things and start the league for the special needs children,” said Faiz, who attends the Dubai American Academy.
The Dubai Challengers League is now into the second year after a successful launch last year which also had a Kuwait team participating in it.
“We had 13 games for the registered special needs children from Dubai and also weekend tournament where the Kuwait special needs team also participated. It was fun and the kids really enjoyed it.”
Another interesting aspect of the league is having a buddy, who is a volunteer. This unique idea provides an opportunity for special needs kids to interact and learn from normal kids and vice versa.
“They really enjoy this. The main goal is to have one specific person helping a special needs player. This increases their confidence level as they interact with their buddies which they usually do not get on normal days. This also makes the buddy volunteers understand how to deal with special kids,” said Faiz noting about the increase in the number of participants this year.
“We have seen a steady increase in the number of participants, which is great. Our goal is to continue to have more children register every year. This also helps the parents to get to know others and creates a community environment,” he added.
The games are largely fun based and basically ensure the special kids enjoy their time on the field. “It feels great when the kids return home with smiles on their faces after the day’s game,” he added.
Joe Lebrato, one of the coaches with DLL, said: “It’s a special opportunity for the children to play with their buddies and make new friends. Baseball is secondary. It’s about making new friendships and families coming out and enjoying their time here”. “The league is very happy that it can help. One of the challenges with a large group is they have different needs and challenges themselves. So we try to put together activities appropriate for all of them.”
Faiz’s father, Mustaq Moosa, felt the games were possible because of the help from the DLL. “They have been of great support. From arranging the fields to logistics to scheduling they have helped us all the way. Despite their busy game schedule on Friday’s they have managed to give space for this cause,” he said.
Nannette Wicker Essick who is an occupational therapist at the Kids First Medical Center and helps the buddies and the players, said: “The buddies learn so many things from this experience and even the buddies understand how to deal with such children. So it’s been a great effort,” she said.
Ahmed Isam Mustafa brings his brother Izzeldin Isam Mustafa all the way from Ajman and felt it helped him in a big way. “He is kind of more relaxed now. He enjoys being here and he has been more helpful at home and is organised. Since he gets to learn lot of things here, it’s really a good thing for him.”
For more information on the Challenger’s league contact Shalini Moosa at 055 9439180 or email: dmlbaseball@gmail.com or visit www.eteamz.com/dubailittleleague
