BRAVING the cold, parents and children gathered on Extention 6 on Youth Day at Extension 6 to witness the opening of a new toy library for children under the age of six.
BRAVING the cold, parents and children gathered on Extention 6 on Youth Day at Extension 6 to witness the opening of a new toy library for children under the age of six.
The spokesperson for the Centre for Social Development, Jean Schafer welcomed the guests and spoke about the importance of young children learning through play.
“Playing is the most importance activity for young children. It is through play that they learn how to concentrate, how to experiment and discover, and how to get on with each other,” said Schafer
The idea for a toy library in the area was initiated by the Centre for Social Development (CSD) at Rhodes University.
The CSD asked a German NGO called Kindernothilfe, which finances projects that promote the sustainable development of children and youth, to provide the funding for the project.
Schafer spoke about the values of the CSD, stating that the organisation believed that children “are the most important member of our communities” and that they not only “train teachers so that children can receive good education” but that they work with the families and communities as well.
Not only will the children be able to play with the toys and games, but they will be taught how to care for the environment and to reduce waste.
Schafer emphasised that they hope that family members will visit the toy library along with the children so that the whole community can benefit from it.
The library will be run by Joyce Teyise, who will be teaching the parents and children how to use the educational games and toys as well as offering educational workshops.
After the welcome a parent of the community spoke about how the toy library will make a difference to her child’s life. Council speaker, Rachel Madinda urged parents to look after the resources at the toy library. “Parents should ensure that these toys do not get damaged or stolen.
This is for our children,” she said.A traditional dance followed where the parents and children were encouraged to join the celebration. Once the dancing and singing subsided, a small child cut the ribbon to officially open the toy library.
