Mitsuhisa Sunabe, an Okinawan mixed martial arts champion opened Mar. 1st an after school day care service for children with physical challenges.

The facility, named CrossLine Day Service is located in the Torihori district of Shuri, and it accepts students from primary through high school ages who are physically challenged. The after school activities include study support, gymnastics, exercises and dance.

Sunabe says. “I want to teach them how to make friends and create social networks with people, and how to use their mental powers to their advantage.”

Sunabe used to be a mixed martial arts champion in three weight classes of straw, fly and super fly. He currently still has the champion belt in straw weight class. When he was a junior high school student, he contacted nephritis, an inflammation of kidneys, and a doctor told him he could not exercise any more. However, he never gave up, and finally overcame the illness.

Sunabe says if people do not believe in their own abilities, their life is gone. “Even if a dream does not come true completely, one’s effort will support the self confidence very much,” he explains.

Last year, Sunabe visited an after school day service in Nagoya, and he thought he too would like to build that kind of place by himself. “Let the kids act taking into consideration their disability, and share the pleasure of achieving with all students. That is my motto at this school,” Sunabe says.

The facility is currently accepting qualified students.

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