| Refugee children enjoy playing with real toys | Send to a friend |
| Sunday, 11 April 2010 21:09 |
 Christine ChachaAs the UNHCR truck offloads more than 1000 toys at one of the refugee camps in Kigoma, children’s faces light up as they expectedly look at the toys. Some of these children have never seen a plastic toy before and their intrigued faces say it all. Another child holding a paper ball says, “I hope to play with the real ball like the one I just saw among the toys being distributed.” Makele Alphonse, an 11-year-old disabled is one of those children who had practically played with nothing in his entire childhood. The best he has got as a toy is a plastic bottle or a piece of wood that his dad brings home with him once in a while. Today, he holds a modern toy guitar and the excitement on his face is vivid. He struggles with the strings, and with the help of his father he manages to play a tune. “I am excited. This makes me feel special. It will also keep me busy,” says Makele. Geofrey Carliez, the associate external relations officer UNHCR Kigoma said that they receive varieties of aid but it is their first time to receive toys, To him it is an important gesture. “Paris came up with the idea. They talked to the children about the situation of the refugee children since December. They actually wanted the toys to be Christmas presents. As you can see, the cards are written Jolie Noel which is, Merry Christmas in French,” he says. Most of the French children who contributed the toys are in the age range of six and seven. The toys were donated to the Day Care centres, Pre Schools, Centres for children with disabilities and to the pediatric ward in Nyarugusu camp. Mr Mdokezi, the Nyarugusu camp manager, while distributing the toys pointed out that the camp has over 26000 children who mostly relied on handmade tools, singing and other games for fun. “The toys have come a long way to our camp and we are more than grateful to receive them,” he says. Mdokezi further reiterated the importance of toys in the children’s development and more especially in the camps, since most of the children when they are left alone, play in the ponds and mud which are not safe places for the children. Fatuma Ekoko, a voluntary worker with her colleague Avijawa Amis expressed a sigh of relief when the toys were distributed. They have all along been struggling to entertain more than 200 children through singing and story telling. “I hope the toys will motivate more children to come to centres and at least play,” she says. The toys were distributed according to ages and appropriateness to specific children’s needs. Those involved a lot of movements were given to the disabled, plastic and wood ones to the pediatric wards and so forth. “We wish there was one toy per child but we are happy because the quality of the toys is good and they may last long even for other children to use,” says Muyeko Nabiya an IRC worker. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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