Joe speaks with Ken Masson of the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy and Jagwe Muzafaru of Blind Football Uganda about an amazing football program.
I'm Joe Solloway, a proud member of the Rotary Club of Bowmanville, which just east of the great city of Toronto, Canada, and wants to come, I will be filling in for the incomparable Peter Tong. As your host of Rotary. Well Peter prepares for and serves as governor for district 555. I'm looking forward to bringing you some great strong return rates around the world, learning who they are about the great work they're doing to make that world a better place. I'm here with Ken Masson, the founder and president of the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy and Jagwe Musa Faru, who is a member of that club in the founder and chair of blind football, Uganda, he is in Kampala, Ken is in Colombia. This is a truly international interview. And welcome to you both.
Ken Masson:Thank you.
Jagwe Musafaru:Thank You. Thank You. The players Yeah, the players are blindfolded is internationally recognized, but specifically to bring out the level the fairness in the game one, some people have a puzzle, a certain percentage of light perception. Others can identify shadows. So to bring out that, that aspect of fair play that we are all in a leveled ground, we have to cover your eyes. And one other thing that I may not have said is how do these guys understand that they can't collide? Oh, how do we keep our game safe. So if someone is is coming approaching me if I'm the one in position in the boat, so I have to keep quiet, I keep playing dribbling, and then the person coming to me has to keep saying voy void voy voy, voy voy, so that you don't collide. So if I hear that your voice is coming on the right side, I will turn to the left side and remove in another direction.
joe solway:A have heard that voy a lot. Whenever we have games that I've seen, I've heard it and I've often wondered what that was and I had to look it up. So I'm sure I Googled blind football and I Googled Paralympics, and some of the highlights of this game are incredible. Especially like the Brazilians and things. These guys are picking corners with fantastic shots. How do they do that when they're blind?
Jagwe Musafaru:You will always go through a Some time of all, we take some time to train them. And specifically, we take them through normal drills like, like in other football categories, we train them in other aspects. But the most important thing is on the communication bit, because it's the biggest thing that drives our game. So every everyone who is on the pitch has to understand has to communicate to everyone, and also has to communicate to other people in the game. And that's how they easily can manage to play the game easily.
joe solway:. Otherwise, they can't, you know, if you if you're if you're open for a pass, or if you want to, you have to know where your teammates are right?
Jagwe Musafaru:You just have to communicate, if you're on the pitch, and I have the bullseye, if I get the ball, I have to communicate to my team that I have the ball, then they then they know that I have the ball, they know my my how we may use codes, or we may use normal language that I have the ball, and then some a person who's on your team cannot attack you in that way. And another thing is the when it comes to communication as well, the guide also helps them that you are on the same team, they have demarcation, the beach has demarcation. So when it reaches a space, a specific section, that you guys are playing the some some guide has to help you and tells you please, you're on the same team don't attack each other. So you give each other space, but always there is that communication bit. So if I want to pass a ball to someone I called, and then you understand where it is, then you pass it to him.
joe solway:If you are blind or partially blind or you're somehow visually impaired, I've heard that your other senses, your hearing, and your touch and all these things are heightened. does that play into this at all? Because you you maybe you hear better than I do.
Jagwe Musafaru:I avoid that judgment a bit for some good time. But I've got testimonies from the players, one of the experiment I did I have a we have balls that we used to play so they have different sound levels, there are some which are louder there are some which are low have low volume. So you can drop two balls at a go, you can put two you can drop two both in the field at a go and for them they can keep that that identity that this is the bowl that we are supposed to fall they don't for the other bowl. So that justifies that at a given level their senses are given hyped some of the senses if they are blind, some of their senses are hyped.
joe solway:Ken I want to turn to you. Tell me about your club, the Jaguars, a member of it. Tell me about the the the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy?
Ken Masson:Sure. I'd love to do that. First of all I want to say though, Jagwe is a is an outstanding Rotarian. And you know, the rotary motto is service above self. And Jagwe it really represents that he is so dedicated to what he's doing. And so passionate about what he's doing. He has built this thing from, from nothing to to a league or what it is today. And he has visions of expanding it into having women teams and international teams. And he lives this year if you look follow Jack way on LinkedIn, he's constantly doing something passionate about this. So he's he's an outstanding Rotarian exactly what a Rotarian should be with he's just, he's just once again, service above self. That's what he is. So the club actually, which is a very cool club club, because it's a class based club, which means everybody in this club is dedicated to the cause and our causes human rights for people with disabilities on a global level. So every single member that we have some way or another is has a passion about about that cause, which makes it a unique club because oftentimes, you'll have a rotary club to help people with with varying interest. But we all are working towards this. We have many people like Jagwe in our club, doing things like for people with disabilities. So we've been around for a couple of years now we're a virtual club. Interesting. Another thing interesting thing about our club is that we're out of district 7910, which is in Massachusetts, but out of our 45 members, only one person is living in Massachusetts. I was but I'm not now. So that makes it Another unique aspect of it. And to work on a global level is fascinating because of the different cultures Is that you're working with, we are working on things that are global and advocacy is very much a part of of the of our concepts part of our name and part of our cause. Some things we're working on right at the moment, we are getting a group together to have a summit to talk about inclusive education on a global level never been done before local levels have talked about it, but global levels have not. So we'd want to work on education for people with people with disabilities, and make sure that they're getting proper education. So we're going to have a summit to discuss that and then come up with a project out of that. We're also working on a project for books for, for Malawi, we're sending we're sending Braille books to Malawi, because in the villages of Malawi, in many countries, they don't have the opportunity that blind students, they have an opportunity to read. So we're gathering books and saying them over there, we're working on cerebral policy. And we have set up a fellowship for cerebral palsy to creep increase awareness of cerebral palsy.
joe solway:And people in your club are both disabled and able bodied. Is that right? That's right. Yeah.
Ken Masson:Bottom line is they all have a passion for the subject.
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joe solway:I just want to bring this back to sports for a little bit. I'm sure how important our participation in sports for people with disabilities not just blind soccer, but But you know, people who may be disabled in some other way. Perhaps both of you could answer that Jagwe, or how important is this for a sport like this for blind people,
Jagwe Musafaru:Sport in general, it's very important to for people with disabilities, a for four reasons, mostly relating to, like, for me my setting here in Uganda, I look at most of the communities, we have a setting or a stereotype that if you are disabled, they have to take you either to the village, or you have to be housed in do. So they always have a routine, some of them will go to school, they end up having a routine of going to school coming home. So they don't have that physical touch of physical connection with the entire world. So in the first instance, the sport also gives you the social connectivity that they may not have. Because when you organize events, even if they are for blind football or another game, not only people with disability come and watch them, other people come and watch them. So it really brings in the social aspect to just social connectivity. Yeah, that's another thing is changing their mental health. Most of the people are really disturbed, they are depressed, because some of them are frustrated, I can't walk anywhere, nobody's accepting me. But when they come to the field, or they come to the playground, most of them are accepted in the in the communities, then beyond that, we always have the opportunity aspect. There is no way an organization has looked for other people outside your circle. So if you have a sports club, and you're organized, so an organization that may want to support people, I'm drafting them era cases from my sport, as well as other people who may want to support your people or a certain category of persons with disability. They come to you, for example, in blind football, people coming to come into our events and see that they want to have internship placements, they want to give job opportunities, they just reach out to you because already you are have an organized structure. People know you, and you have the number of people they want. So they just come to you, and then they engage you and then you give him the context of those people and they reach them and then that's how they employ them. So those are the few things that I can Ken, what do you think? Yeah, well, say out.
Ken Masson:Yeah well, what Jagwe has to say is correct. And I think that's what's the importance of sports, particularly with people with disabilities. And I know when countries like Uganda, people with disabilities are unfortunately constantly looked down on and so football and what Jaguar is doing, gives the people an opportunity to build their confidence. and to do something that maybe they didn't believe what people were telling them that they couldn't do. So what he's doing there is is is unbelievable. And he's, he's building, he's building a lot of things. Football helps you, dog team team attitudes, leadership attitudes, a belief in yourself. So it's it's it's a beautiful thing sports as far as people with disabilities are concerned.
joe solway:And you once said no once you were actually I think this was a couple of years ago last year you were on this podcast with with Peter. Yeah. And you said and I listened to that, and I picked this out. You said people with disabilities make great Rotarians? Do you remember saying that?
Ken Masson:It was two years ago
joe solway:that that line really stuck out for me, what do you what do you think and Jagwe? Wait, you can comment on that too?
Ken Masson:Well, people with disabilities oftentimes have, for lack of a better word, they struggled in their life for various reasons, because of their disability and because of society. People with disabilities actually because of the struggles that they had to go through, that makes them stronger people, and what dedicated people, and they're all passionate people because of the because of what they've grown up with in their life. So overall, people with disabilities make better make good Rotarians because they're going to be dedicated. And that also they make good employees too, because there'll be dedicated to the job. So overall, yes, that's true. People with disabilities, in many cases, have a lot more passion and commitment than oftentimes people that have gone through what they've gone through.
joe solway:Jagwe what is being a Rotarian mean to you then?
Jagwe Musafaru:Yeah, it's true. I can just don't work when Ken as said being a Rotarian gives you an opportunity, maybe to express to express yourself, because there are some people who don't have that confidence, and also connecting to the entire world I wouldn't have met met Kane, or other people in the rotary circles without being a Rotarian. So I believe, yeah, it's a great thing.
joe solway:You're not, I just want to bring it back to you again, Jagwe You're you're not totally blind, right? You have some sight. And you You lost this eyesight in an accident. What happened to you?
Jagwe Musafaru:It was a simple accident that happened in childhood, like a fire. At school, there are bands of fire at school. So that's how I came to be visually impaired.
joe solway:And what did that mean for your life? Have you it? Did it make you? I don't know, it made you want to work harder? Is it made you did you go through a bad time was what was it like for you? What's it been like for you with that vision?
Jagwe Musafaru:Yeah, when it comes to reading, mostly getting back to the community, because it happened when I was a bit young. So getting back to the community, it wasn't that easy. So it was even in high school. No, nobody like would like to associate with you like I was before. So getting back to the community was a little bit hard. In some instances, there are some roads that there are some routes after school that I couldn't pass because of teasing such things. Because normally I used to wear glasses because I wasn't proud of what I am. And I tried to do it at home we have they tried to do on my body. A few surgeries, to see that. I get back, but I realized there is nothing to change. Then afterwards, I came proud of what I am. And proudly, I live the life as I am. But it was a bit hard mostly in associating with the community, the way they show you up to now there are some people who say we get we just think even even people who are blind, who don't want to associate with a blind reason. They think that it's contagious when it's not even contagious. Like me. It was just a fire accident I got at school. And there is no way that it can be contagious to people. But then when I was growing up, there are some people who never wanted to associate with me because they think I have a disease that may be contagious. So it's always about the community, dealing with the community and it's comes from a project Lee Lita awareness because most of the people who become visually impaired or blind, we are chased from towns, we are chased from committable. The big cities and and then people find it hard to meet visually impaired in communities. So if you can't see them, they can't understand how, what they go through what they are. But if they are left within the community, don't take into villages or rural areas there, we can easily associate easing. But for me, my parents used to push me, you can do this, you can do this. With exceptional football at first, they were also scared not to allow me to play around because they fear people anyway gives you and whenever you could, you could get abused or teased. And people, you go and report to them, they get tired of also being nagged about it. So but in the end, what they did, they just left me leave the way I want. Because when I reached 18, I was supposed to do more, more like two or three surgeries on the AI side. But I just told him, Look at this, there is nothing we are changing. I accept what I am. And from there, I've never even used glasses anymore. And you couldn't say anything or anything that is wrong with me. But I just decided to face the reality. This is me. Why should I put it on in bed when I'm not in bed. And when I move out in public, I don't put it on during
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joe solway:how common is a story like Jagwe's where they're ostracized, and it's such a challenge for them? You're members all over the world? Is this the kind of story you hear a lot?
Ken Masson:Yeah, you do. And you know, one of the beauties of the fact that I got involved in this club, because I come from, from the United States, is to better understand how disabilities have viewed around the world. And how they're viewed in the United States and how they're viewed in a country like Uganda is, is totally different. Even though there are obviously discrimination in every country, particularly in countries like Uganda, and Kenya and Nigeria and other countries in that area. When you have a disability, you looked as if you have a curse. And the sole society really kind of put you in a corner. And oftentimes as Jack way is talking about he's he's got had an accident because there is a sight issues. And but people think they can catch it, they can catch it, that it's something it's an illness. And they that's very common. And with all the disabilities, in addition to that, oftentimes a mother who had gives birth to a child who has a disability is looked down on so it's an eye opener, and I think I encourage anyone to better understand on a global level disabilities, because once again, in North America, and in Africa, it's totally different. And the struggles of Jack way. Much more challenging than somebody who's in North America.
joe solway:You agree or he's you guys are gonna have a football team behind football team in the Paralympics.
Jagwe Musafaru:And 98 we are not yet there because I have to tell you, we haven't got like government funding as yet. Everything that I do is support from friends, and mostly family members and then other people around. So the thing is, we we applied last year in October, no in August, and the International blind spots Federation recognized Uganda, our football it's now recognized. So we are on the political agenda as members of epsa. So it gives us liberty to participate in any international competitions. But the biggest issue now at the moment. We get the recognition of membership. When we are And when the qualification window had closed, because it closed the when other teams had already all events had been played. So in 2024, we shall not have any team. But my promise is to have a team in 2028 Los Angeles. That's,
joe solway:yeah, that's that's a fantastic goal. I hope to see you there. And I hope you do you play by the way, or are you just the administrator?
Jagwe Musafaru:We have partially sighted football, but I don't. I don't participate in any of them. Okay. Because I have to be in a role. You have to stay in my lane.
joe solway:Yeah that's right. Okay. Well, thank you very much for talking to me, both of you. This is a fantastic story. It's great to hear positive things happening in rotary and for people all over the world. So thank you very much, and best of luck to you. Wonderful.
Ken Masson:Thank you, Joe. All right now.
Mandy Kwasnica:Thank you so much for joining us on another great episode of talking Rotary. We would love to hear from you. Please send us your comments and story ideas. And you can share with us easily by sending us an email at feedback at talking rotary.org Let's keep talking Rotary.