Project Aokas: Inclusive Sport

Project Aokas was founded to provide jiu jitsu to the most vulnerable and at-risk youth in Phnom Penh. With Inclusive Cambodia taking the lead in gender and disability inclusion in Cambodia, whether the children wish to be champions or hobbyists, their participation as a martial artist among their peers will undoubtedly lead to the development of their character and capacity as a human being.

Jiu jitsu provides its participants with the necessary tools and skill sets to succeed in both life and work, increasing the visibility and impact of each person as they make their mark on their communities. Such skills include problem solving, analytical thinking, learning to remain calm under pressure, clear communication and team spirit.

The students at Project Aokas are currently approximately 60% female.

This is an enormously promising step in gender inclusion and equality. Cambodia has typically not been a conducive place for the promotion of females in sport. We are proud to be teaching sport to such a large number of young women, and we are committed to furthering this ethos in sports environments all over the country.

Why Inclusion Matters

Inclusive sport is an effective way in which to transform social and community attitudes about disabled people through the exposure of their skills and strengths, reducing common tendencies to see the disability instead of the person. For this reason, sport can help reduce the stigma and discrimination often directed at those with disabilities.

Through inclusive sport, non-disabled people interact directly with disabled people in a constructive environment of mutual self development, making the reshaping of assumptions essential to one’s personal or group success. Project Aokas is among the first fully inclusive sports programmes in Cambodia, welcoming children with both physical and intellectual disabilities.

“Jiu jitsu has helped Sochantha to build his strength and also to cope with being in groups and crowds. I am happy and grateful for Inclusive Cambodia. You have helped my child and my family.”

Chamroeun, Sochantha's mother

In 2024

Over 110

children living in poverty attending jiu jitsu classes with our inclusive sports programme.

60%

of Project Aokas coaching staff are female, offering them employment in a very underrepresented field.

24

disabled children given access to inclusive jiu jitsu in a class of their peers.

2

disabled athletes from Project Aokas performed in the Ju-Jitsu National Championships in 2024.

Nurturing Cambodian National Athletes

Project Aokas is now a primary feeder project for the Cambodian National Jiu Jitsu Team. With hard work and dedication, the kids from Aokas have the opportunity to represent their country should they wish, leading to formal employment by the Ju-Jitsu Federation of Cambodia and an exciting career path ahead. We are very proud to offer this unique chance to youth living in poverty, potentially changing their lives and the lives of their families forever.

Jiu jitsu is a new sport in Cambodia, and it is safe to say that the students emerging from our project will shape its future both nationally and on the international stage.

“Thank you Project Aokas for giving me so many chances to start playing, learning and training jiu jitsu. I am so honoured as I am Cambodian to represent Cambodia in international competition. Even if I lose, at least some from my team still win and I am so proud of them.”

Reaksmey

Inclusive Sports Coaching

Our Inclusive Sports Traineeship Programme is a comprehensive training process dedicated to disability inclusion for sports coaches across Cambodia. The programme takes our trainees through topics including disability awareness and identification, anatomy and adaptive sports rehabilitation.

By creating inclusive spaces in this way, we can promote healthy behaviours, preserve mental health, and promote compassion and understanding among disabled children and their non-disabled peers. Starting this year, Inclusive Cambodia will provide this training to other sports clubs as well as our own for the wider promotion of disabled children in sport across the country.

In 2024