Final preparations are underway for the 38th edition of the Order of Malta’s international camp for disabled young people, which this year takes place in Waterloo in Belgium from 12 to 19 August.

Some 500 participants – both disabled and volunteers – aged from 18 to 35 are expected from over 25 countries. The week includes cultural activities with guided tours of the country’s most fascinating cities, from Brussels to Antwerp, religious celebrations, moments of prayer, and numerous sports and recreational activities.

To encourage participants to immerse themselves in Belgian culture, there will be workshops for discovering the secrets of chocolate production and for learning how to draw comics.

Like every year, however, the most important thing will be to create new emotional ties and strengthen old friendships to allow young people – breaking down the barriers of physical or mental disability – to live a week of leisure, fun and friendship. Human relationships are at the heart of the camp’s activities, they are its main ingredient.

The first international camp for young people with disabilities was organized in 1983. Since then, the Order of Malta’s volunteers have organized an international summer camp in a different European country each year. The Order of Malta’s Belgian Association last organised a camp on its territory 25 years ago.

The international event in Europe is flanked by the numerous summer camps organised every summer by the Order of Malta’s Grand Priories, Associations and Volunteer Corps, both in Europe and on the other continents.