Dionis and Gersi noticed that young people with intellectual disabilities in rural Albania are kept isolated and don’t have the opportunity to train regularly or at all, and that their families often lack the information or resources to address the needs of a child with disabilities. In this project, they plan to visit these families and provide them with sports equipment and information needed to help their children be active and take care of their needs.

Over six months, Dionis and Gersi will visit 25 athletes and families in their homes and gift them basic sports equipment for daily use. Dionis and Gersi will demonstrate how athletes can stay active on their own, even without nearby gyms and even after the project is over, such as by making it a social activity that can be done with siblings and neighbors. The bigger picture objective of this project is to improve the health of youth with intellectual disabilities and, just as importantly, Dionis and Gersi want to show these young people that they aren’t alone but have the power of the entire Unified Generation and Special Olympics movement to support them.