Banif supports inclusion at Inspire
Banif Bank is sponsoring two Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) at Inspire’s Summer School. LSAs are specifically engaged to help children with difficulties participate fully in activities and interact with other children of their age and with different abilities.
The School, which provides educational and recreational activities for children aged 3-12 years, and is based at Razzet tal-Ħbiberija in Marsascala, places great emphasis on the concept of inclusion for children with physical or mental disabilities. This is achieved through integration – classes are comprised of children of all abilities who participate in group play and activities such as horse riding, arts and crafts, swimming, and music, through which they are encouraged to develop relationships without the social barriers which are sometimes unfortunately still found in today’s society.
“We were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the facilities and the immediately obvious dedication of the staff and volunteers at Inspire,” remarked Simon Grech, Head of Corporate Service at Banif Bank, after a recent visit. “Although nowadays there is more awareness on the difficulties faced by people with disabilities, there is still a sense of separation which is largely built on common misconceptions rather than fact. This kind of programme completely blurs those lines by allowing children to participate in the same activities, paving the way for equal opportunities for all. Naturally, this level of commitment places substantial pressure on Inspire’s resources. That’s why Banif Bank, whose core values of humanism and ambition are very much in tune with these ideas, was pleased to step in and offer assistance through the sponsoring of two LSAs.”
Antonello Gauci, Inspire’s CEO, added that, “The Inspire Summer School has been running for more than 10 years. As many parents of children with disabilities will testify, The Inspire Summer School is the only summer school they will consider sending their children to. However inclusion is an important factor and we need children of all abilities to keep the school running. It is thanks to kind donations such as these that this remains possible.”
