14th IDBF – Fund Raising

The Philippine Accessible Disability Services (PADS) is a SEC-registered, non-profit organization that works to expand the avenues for mainstreaming the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in all aspect of society, including sports. We developed the first (and, so far, only) adaptive sports program in the Philippines. The objectives are to introduce adaptive sports to PWDs to increase their visibility and participation in sports and recreation, to promote an active and healthy lifestyle, and to break down barriers of stigma and discrimination towards disabilities. Dragonboat racing proved to be an effective entry point for the PADS Adaptive Sports Program.

The PADS para-dragonboat team has garnered a lot of attention because of its inspirational message of hope and triumph despite adversities. This team of paddlers is composed of people with varying disabilities such as blindness, deafness, amputated limbs, and polio survivors—a first of its kind in the country. The barriers for inclusion are large in the Philippines, therefore many of our paddlers do not have employment opportunities and have never engaged in sports before. PADS works with the team to support inclusion and provide opportunities for employment where possible. 

The team has generated a lot of media coverage due to its impressive performance and have won against strong teams (even without disabilities) in local and international competitions. In fact, the PADS Adaptive Dragonboat Racing Team made history by being the back-to-back gold medalists of the Hong Kong Dragonboat Carnival – International Paradragon Championships in 2017 and 2018.

For the upcoming 14^th International Dragonboat Federation World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand on August 20-26, 2019, the PADS team has been endorsed by the Philippine Dragonboat Federation (PDBF) to compete under Team Philippines for the first-ever Paradragon Division.

We are looking for partners who share our vision of further strengthening our adaptive sports program as an avenue for PWDs to excel in sports and society. The team needs financial assistance for the next few months of training, as well as costs directly connected to the international competition.

In relation to this, we would like to ask for your assistance to seek potential donors and sponsors for the budget needs of the team who will participating for the first time at the 14th IDBF World championships.

Support PADS Adaptive Dragon Boat Team