Fit-5 Cards Promote Health for Athletes with Limited Access to Online Connectivity in the Africa Region

During a time social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Special Olympics has made a variety of online resources, such as virtual games, workouts and leadership opportunities, available to keep athletes healthy and engaged until in-person activities resume.

For those athletes in Africa who do not have access to online resources, Special Olympics Africa has translated the Fit 5 program onto printed cards that can be used by athletes and coaches alike. The Fit 5 Cards can be utilized by anyone wishing to stay safe and protect their health while remaining at home and practising safe physical distancing.

A variety of partners have come on board to help distribute the printed cards including them in packages of food assistance, protective masks and sanitizers delivered to athletes in at-risk areas during national lockdowns. The fitness content has also been shared and broadcasted over radio and television. These include:

• UNICEF in Kenya
• UNFPA in Botswana
• UNHCR in Niger
• Speak Up Africa in Senegal

These Fit 5 resources are available for download here.
English

• Print version Note: can be edited in Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Easy Print version Note: can be printed back to back easily following these instructions
• PowerPoint version Note: This text can be edited easily to use any other language

Français

• Version imprimée Remarque: peut être modifié dans Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Version PowerPoint Remarque: ce texte peut être modifié facilement pour utiliser n’importe quelle autre langue.

Portuguese

• PowerPoint version Note: This text can be edited easily to use any other language

KiSwahili

• PowerPoint version Note: This text can be edited easily to use any other language

SiSwati

• PowerPoint version Note: This text can be edited easily to use any other language

One of the first Special Olympics programs to translate the cards, is also one of the world’s smallest nations! Special Olympics Eswatini saw the gap their athletes in remote areas experienced in accessing fitness and health education during the pandemic.

UNICEF Kenya partnered with Special Olympics Kenya to create a televised series on the Fit 5 cards in prime time slots on national television. They are piloting a project donating printed Fit 5 materials to children with and without disabilities in the nation’s capital, Nairobi.

Now, the cards are under review by the government’s Institute for Curriculum Development, which may see the formalization of the materials with the Ministry of Education to provide a physical fitness guide for schools across Kenya.

Special Olympics Democratic Republic of the Congo printed the first French versions of the Fit 5 cards, as well as branded Fit 5 T-Shirts and protective face masks for athletes in at-risk communities.