Go Play – building playgrounds (video)
(The names of the school and location have been bleeped out to protect their privacy)
Go Play is an organization that builds playgrounds in developing countries. In Thailand they have built a lot of playgrounds for schools and orphanages. When you have some spare time you can volunteer to build playgrounds and make a lot of children happy.
For Robert, a volunteer, I’ve created this short movie so you can see what they’re exactly doing.
Why build playgrounds? Well, because there are a lot of migrant learning centers and orphanages who don’t have a decent place for the kids to play. The learning centers are in Thailand, but are not recognized as schools by the Thai government. Only in Mae Sot alone you’ll find 50+ centers. The centers have no income and are merely funded by organizations and other donors.
Another reason you should help is: you’ll meet interesting volunteers from all over the world and it is very rewarding to see the kids play after a week of hard work.
We encourage children to gain the skills they need to succeed in a changing world
by providing a space and resources to play. We design and build great playspaces
to improve the learning, health and wellbeing of children in the developing world,
and we support and train others to do the same.That play is the tool children use to experiment with, and master how, the world
works. Classroom learning is important, but play is learning put into practice.
Play is fundamental to a child’s overall development and wellbeing. We believe
that all children have the right to play and that all children deserve safe and fun
places to do so.
Visis www.goplayproject.org
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Nice project! Real nice to see that the children can play, it’s true that children have the right to play.
One thing I don’t understand, the migrant learning centers are not recognized by the government so they don’t get money from the government, but why aren’t there normal schools that are recognized by the government so they get money?
Keep on going guys!
Thnx
Good question, for the Burmese people it is really difficult to get work permits or asylum in Thailand. Even dough there are 2 million Burmese in Thailand, only 1/4 have a legal work permit.
For one instance, Thailand doesn’t recognize refugees. This is the biggest issue. They haven’t signed the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees what means that every refugee/migrant has no rights at all and can be sent back to Burma any moment and increase their chance dramatically to fall for abuse/slave labor and extortion.
There are ‘normal’ schools who do get money from the government, but they aren’t accessible for Burmese children. Not only because they cost money which Burmese immigrants don’t have, but also because they cannot obtain the right papers.
That is why there are a lot of migrant learning centers in Mae Sot for a lot of children with no parents/help/money/future whatsoever. That’s why we try to help them.