Amica Acqua is a social inclusion project through sports, targeting 45 individuals: mothers, fathers and children aged between 6 months and 5 years, all of whom are refugees and/or asylum seekers residing in Rome. It implements a one-year aquatic course, held once a week, at a swimming facility within the SSF solidarity network. Through the rehabilitative and sport-based path, the project aims to support processes of inclusion and processes for healing from traumatic experiences.
The project is aimed at adults and children aged 6 months to 5 years from non-European countries afflicted by war, famine, internal conflict, and severe consequences of the global climate crisis. These families crossed the sea to reach Italy on precarious boats, carrying with them the hope for a better life. Many of them experienced water for the first time as an enemy. Over the past 3 years, the project has involved also Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war, affected by post-traumatic disorders.
The rehabilitative function of sports is useful to engage beneficiaries in an inclusion and integration process, supported by qualified professionals (educators, psychologists, and sports instructors). Amica Acqua breaks the cycle of deprivation and frustration suffered by refugees, offering opportunities not usually covered by basic humanitarian aid. It has an impact on social relationships, psychological and physical well-being, and health prevention. It also helps reunite family units.
The project produces a positive social impact, because it connects beneficiaries to the local community, promoting intercultural dialogue. Expected results: -Facilitate physical reactivation after traumatic and stressful experiences -Enhance motor, relational, and communication skills -Increase psychological and physical well-being, along with self-confidence and trust in others -Strengthen family bonds and the parent-child relationship -Support and strengthen social inclusion processes.
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