Department Overview
The Sports, Culture, Arts & Recreation Department promotes inclusive sports, culture, arts, recreation, creativity, wellbeing, talent development, social participation, and community connection among refugees with disabilities.
Department Lead: Head of Sports, Culture, Arts & Recreation
Lead Programme Area: Culture & Digital
Lead Sub-Programme: Sports, Culture, Arts & Recreation
Supporting Departments
Main Responsibilities
- Planning and implementing inclusive sports, cultural, artistic, and recreational programmes.
- Promoting physical and mental well-being through sports and healthy lifestyle activities.
- Identifying, nurturing, and showcasing members’ artistic, cultural, and sporting talents.
- Organizing sports competitions, cultural festivals, art exhibitions, performances, and recreational events.
- Preserving and promoting the diverse cultural heritage and traditions of refugee communities.
- Encouraging creativity, innovation, and self-expression through visual arts, music, theatre, literature, crafts, and other creative activities.
- Strengthening community cohesion, inclusion, teamwork, and mutual understanding through cultural and recreational initiatives.
Promoting equal participation of women, children, youth, older persons, and persons with different types of disabilities in all activities. - Building partnerships with sports federations, cultural institutions, artists, disability organizations, and development partners.
- Mobilizing resources and support to expand inclusive sports, arts, and cultural programmes.
- Raising public awareness of the abilities, achievements, and contributions of refugees with disabilities through sports, arts, and culture.
- Monitoring, evaluating, and continuously improving departmental programmes to maximize their social impact and sustainability.
Professional Profile
Mr. Mahir Mahmood Al Shurki serves as the Head of the
Sports, Culture, Arts & Recreation Department at TESFA Refugees with Disabilities Association. He is an accomplished visual artist, painter, sculptor, potter, decorator, mural artist, woodworker, drummer, and flute player, with an extensive career in fine arts, artistic education, cultural development, and creative leadership.
He holds a Diploma in Drawing from the Sorbonne–Beaux-Arts Institute, France, and both a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Drawing from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Baghdad. Throughout his career, he has served as Director of Al-Rawaq Arts Hall, a Drawing Instructor at the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, and worked for eight years as an artist and painter for the Office of the President of Iraq. He also produced large-scale artistic works for King Hussein of Jordan and served for three years as a painter and decorator for the Office of the President of Yemen.
Mr. Mahir has participated in more than 90 national and international art exhibitions, biennales, festivals, and competitions, reflecting his lifelong commitment to artistic excellence and cultural exchange.
At TESFA, he leads inclusive sports, culture, arts, and recreation programmes that empower refugees with disabilities by promoting creativity, talent development, cultural preservation, social inclusion, physical and mental well-being, and meaningful community participation.community.
Email: art@tesfa.com.et
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