Today we had a wonderful celebration of World Downsyndrome Day 2010.

We had in fact two subjects this year.

First we asked attention for: Downsyndrome on Sunday.

We tried to make clear that people and children with Downsyndrome should participate in our society also on Sundays. We hope to see them participate in the activities people/families are undertaking on Sundays. So particpating in the church, participating in sportclub, participating in leisure activities, participating in familiy activities, etc.

We launched a big poster campagne again.

Everyone could send a picture with the activity the person/child with Downsyndrome is doing on Sunday.

Our employer with Downsyndrome: David de Graaf has made beautiful posters of all these pictures.

He send this posters back to the families. They can print this poster and give it/ show it to everyone they like in their family/living quarter.

We put on the words: Downsyndrome on Sunday.

Please visit our website to watch the 204 posters he has made.

(www.downsyndroom.nl. When you're on our site click on: Poster campagne 2010. Then click on klik hier voor meer informatie. When you're on this site you click on: klik hier voor een aantal voorbeelden. With the button > you can watch all the posters. Really lovely pictures. It will give you an overview of activities children and young adults will do on Sundays!)

Our national celebration was in the African Museum in Nijmegen. More than 420 people participated.

We tried to pay attention to Downsyndrome in Africa. There is a special initiative in Kenia (Marianne Center) where adults with an intellectual disability (and a lot people with Downsyndrome) can learn self help skills and can get vocational training. People from the Netherlands have set up this project.

We also linked to the World Downsyndrome Congress in South Africa in 2011. We tried to promote the congress.

And we had some artists from United by Music. They were singing several songs. And they told their experiences from the IASSID World Congress in Capetown in 2008. They produced a lovely CD and of every CD they sell some money is for a project in Africa.

Hope that everyone had a wonderful celebration of WDSD 2010.

Warm regards,
Marja Hodes