Hi, my name is Katie and I'm fundraising for NgongHills@Space, a community initiative my partner Huma and I founded in Gichagi, Ngong Hills, Kenya. This community initiative started as an idea after a visit to Ngong market, where we witnessed children playing in the garbage area of the market which is next to the Ngong matatu stage (local bus station). We asked ourselves what can we do and what do we have to give? We concluded we can give our time, our resources and our space. This sparked the idea of creating a unique creative playspace!
In Kenya, playtime is often through house chores or accompanying parents to markets, farms or public areas, it is common to find children hawking with their parents on the streets or in market stalls till late in the night even on school days.
Our goal is to establish an accessible, vibrant, safe and engaging space where children can grow through meaningful play and hands on exploration. The play space will first be accessible to the children of the Gichagi community (estimated 2,000+ children).
Our play space will include :
- A sound garden
- Props for team & individual games (diy hula hoops, bean bags, balls etc.)
- Exploration stations with hands on material (sand & waterwork stations, Ngong hills birds puzzle)
- Interactive art walls (peg board, loom weave)
- Multi-level play structures intergrated with natural features (climbing walls, obstacle course, tunnels, woven play structure, tyre installations)
- Art installations (large bird installations all made by local artists)
- Playground markings & wooden table games (hopscotch, mirror me etc.)
- A library and storytelling space (books, props & costumes for children to engage in their own storytelling performances)
- Shaded deck area for workshops
This space will be built at Ngonghills@space site. To achieve this we will work with local artists and craftspeople and use whatever resources are available to us (eg.recycled plastics, recycled clothes, locally sourced wood, recycled glass etc.)
Breakdown of costs :
- Sound Garden - €350
- Prop bin - €100
- Exploration stations - €150
- Interactive art walls - €150
- Multi - level play structures - €450
- Art installations - €350
- Playground markings & wooden table games - €150
- Library & storytelling space - €300 + donated books
- Toilets - €150
- Shaded deck area for workshops - €350 euro
- Rain protection - shade or roof for installations - €500
Total : €3,000.00
Our play space will not only act as a playground for the children in our community but will also be used for bi-monthly creative workshops run by local artists. At these workshops we will give opportunity to children and youths to develop their creative skills and explore solutions to daily challenges that they face such as access to water.
How we will operate & sustain our playspace :
- 24 play sessions a month - we will have different timings available targeting first children that cannot afford schooling and secondly children of parents who work in the local market till late.
- 20 children at a time will be able to use our playspace and facilities.
- To sustain the space we will ask the parents of each child for a contribution per session of 50 KES (approx 35 cent) - the contribution will be used for maintenance and also act as a commitment fee, without any kind of fee it would be very hard for us to open the space for everyone and not be over run. However if any parent is not able to afford, we are happy for them to give in-kind or donate their time to the project.
Why is this important to us ?
- Creating this play space will offer a unique and exciting experience for children in our area. We believe that the real impact will come from providing them with much needed safe space where they can become independent thinkers, explore their curiosity and imagination and learn through immersive play.
How you can help us?
- Donate (donation of any size can help).
- Books, any books in English or Swahili or picture books to donate , we are happy to add them to our community library.
- Volunteer - if you are an artist/craftsperson/woodworker or work with children or have another skill which you believe would be useful in our space, feel free to contact us and volunteer your time.
For donations of books and to volunteer to the build of playspace, you can contact Katie via the contact button below. If you have any questions about our project, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
We would love everyone to follow the project as it comes to life, we will be posting updates on our dedicated social media @NgongHills_Space
Below are images of the corner where we will be building our playspace for the kids.
Above is lower part of the garden which will also be used for various activities.
Above is an image of local children in our area on their way to carry water (taken outside our gate). For our first workshop we plan to create water rollers with the children to improve access to water.
Below are some images taken from small play sessions we have held in our space.
Thank you for taking your time to read about our fundraiser, we look forward to bringing this project to life!
**UPDATES**
Below are some photos of phase 1 :
Organizer
Katie Cosgrave
Organizer