Yeison now plays outside too, and his smile is here to stay
Not so long ago, Yeison would look for a spot in the shade at break time. Playing in the sun was too hard. His school recently got a canopy over the playground. Now he runs outside as soon as the bell rings, and you cannot wipe the smile off his face.
Looking for shade
At many schools in Cañete, break time looks the same. Children look for a small patch of shade, against a wall or under a tree. The sports pitch stays empty, if there is one at all. In the full sun, playing and doing sport is simply too hard.
That was the case for Yeison for a long time too. He would look at the pitch, but stay in the shade. Not because he did not want to play, but because he could not.
A canopy, after a long road
That changed. On the initiative of the parents, and working with the school and the local council, a canopy was put up. It was no quick job. A process like this takes an enormous amount of time and is hard for a school to achieve on its own. It takes a lot of patience, discussion and perseverance.
But the result is there. Under the canopy it is cool enough to run, play and do sport. For Yeison, the playground is finally a place to play, not just a place to wait.
We are so happy for Yeison that he already has this chance. Now we want other children to get it too.
What we see
Anyone who sees Yeison in the playground now sees a boy completely absorbed in the game. He runs, laughs and plays with his classmates. That is exactly where you see how much a place to play outside means to a child. It is about moving, but also about friendship, fun and feeling free.
Where we want to go
Yeison’s story shows what is possible. At the same time, we know that many children at other schools still seek out the shade, just as he used to. That is where we want to make a difference in the coming period through our Reconstruction programme.
Together with our local partner schools, we are looking at where a safe, shady place to play is needed most. That way, we want to give other children the same chance that Yeison has now. Because every child should have that right.
