Toy Library Project Underway
Mon, 7 June 2010
“We are very excited that our children will be able to play and learn in a safe place.” - Auntie May Buthelezi
REPORT 1: Toy Library for Children from Mbuba Village
The Little Elephant Training Centre for Early Education (LETCEE) is establishing a container-based Toy library in Mbuba village. This will significantly improve the quality of play opportunities and provide children with constructive leisure time activities. The library will lend toys to responsible adults and provide on-site play activities.
The project began in April 2010 and is due for completion at the end of April 2011.
Impact
Although the actual Toy library is not totally up and running, play sessions have commenced to orientate the community to this concept. More than 40 people, ranging in age from 2 to over 80, have participated in the activities and have begun to realise the importance of play. Participants play both traditional and new games at the library. The positive response from the community shows that they are ready for a fully functioning Toy library.
Outputs
- A container was acquired and then delivered on Wednesday the 19th of May 2010.
- The container was positioned in the grounds of the Community Hall in the Mbuba area.
- Concrete stands were built for the converted container to rest on in order to prevent rust. The materials for the construction were provided by LETCEE and the work was carried out by a contractor from the local community. The stands conform to the required standards.
- A cement slab is being constructed outside the entrance to the container to prevent dust and sand from entering the container. Cement and blocks were purchased and delivered for this purpose. A discount was obtained from the local hardware store.
- The toy stock lists were finalised and ordered. Toys have arrived and are being kept at the LETCEE premises until the construction is completed. The toys are being prepared, reinforced and labelled using a classification of the Toy library system.
- The Community Committee has chosen a young woman to manage the Toy library. She has been taught about the importance of play and child development, and has been trained to use the Toy library system.
Expenditure
The total budget for this project is R49, 500 of which R29,500 has been paid.
| Description | Budget | Expenditure |
| Ordering of container | 18 500 | 19 950 |
| Ordering of toys | 15 000 | 5 000 |
| Purchase of materials for concrete slab | 7 500 | 3 820 |
| Throwing concrete slab | 3 500 | 1 000 |
| TOTAL | 49 500 | 29 770 |
Challenges
- Working with the relevant community structures requires broad consultation in order to ensure community buy-in. This has been a slow process
- A strike by workers at PortNet delayed the delivery of the container
- The community builder contracted for the job fell ill, resulting in a further delay in the laying of slabs
Monitoring and evaluation
The construction of the stands was closely monitored. This was done in order to ensure that the stands complied with the standard requirements.
Informal discussions and feedback from participants at the play sessions were evaluated and used to inform future planned activities.
Conclusions
The delivery and installation of the container created great excitement within the community. A community member was given the materials to build the stands for the container. These were successfully completed in compliance with the relevant standards. The toys have been ordered and all the materials needed for the completion of the concrete slab have been purchased.
The play sessions have stirred an excitement in the community for the official opening of the Toy library.
