International Exchange Camp Spinal
Summer 2025

Venue: Olympiatoppen & Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
Funded: Sunnaas Foundation (SF)
Organization: Spinal Injuries Association of Malawi (SIAM)
Dates: 13–20 June 2025
Report prepared by: Bylon Kondowe, Executive Director

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REPORT SUMMARY
Camp Spinal camp was designed to promote inclusive active rehabilitation through a dynamic and interdisciplinary approach.
1. Background:
Spinal cord injuries in Malawi are a significant public health challenge, with limited rehabilitation services. ​ A 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Malawi, SIAM, and the Sunnaas Foundation introduced the Active Rehabilitation model to address these gaps. ​
2. Camp Objectives:
The camp focused on promoting active rehabilitation, strengthening peer mentorship networks, facilitating interdisciplinary clinical knowledge exchange, advancing adaptive sports integration, centering survivor narratives in advocacy, and fostering global partnerships. ​
3. Activities:
Participants engaged in adaptive sports (e.g., boxing, wheelchair rugby, powerlifting), water therapy, urban accessibility tours, storytelling sessions, and leadership-building exercises. ​ These activities emphasized physical recovery, emotional resilience, and community reintegration. ​
4. Malawi Delegation:
SIAM’s Executive Director, Bylon Kondowe, and two physiotherapists from Kamuzu Central Hospital represented Malawi, contributing perspectives from a low-resource context and engaging in global knowledge exchange.
5. Key Lessons:
The camp demonstrated the importance of inclusive environments, peer-led models, adaptive sports, cross-sector partnerships, storytelling for advocacy, governmental engagement, and localization of global practices. ​
6. Recommendations for SIAM:
Suggestions include establishing a peer mentorship framework, leveraging global partnerships, amplifying survivor voices through storytelling, and prioritizing youth-led SCI innovation. ​
7. Conclusion:
SIAM’s participation reinforced its commitment to inclusive rehabilitation and highlighted the potential for future collaboration, including co-hosting a Camp Spinal in Malawi.

Acknowledgements:
The report expresses gratitude to the Sunnaas Foundation, camp organiszers, and Malawian participants for their contributions to the success of the event.

Overall Impact:
Camp Spinal Summer 2025 showcased the transformative power of survivor-led rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and global collaboration, offering SIAM valuable insights and strategies to advance disability-inclusive health systems in Malawi.

FULL REPORT
Click to download the report in PDF format (8808 KB)