The school or child development center your sponsored child attends has several important features:

It has a loving, caring, attentive staff who love the Lord and the children.

It has clean water and nutritious food, plus access to medical attention if needed.

It is a learning-friendly environment, with staff who help the children with their education.

The center or school is also a safe place where children can escape the pressures of poverty and have the chance to play. And yet some of our projects are in areas that do not have playgrounds as we know them, and the project property might not have playground equipment, either.

Or, like many of our child development centers in Swaziland, the equipment they had was outdated and in some ways
dangerous -- the wooden or steel seats on the swings often hit other children, leaving bruises or cuts.

In addition to those dangers, there were always more children than there were swings or slides, creating a competitive dynamic that sometimes left children unable to play even after waiting in line.

To alleviate these issues, several generous donors stepped up to provide new equipment and better swing material to 10 of our centers! Their gracious gifts allow the children to play safely and for hours on end!  

We could tell how how much the children love their new playgrounds, but it's best if you see it for yourself! The children and staff sent their thanks and shared what they appreciated most, which are added as captions to the photos in our new gallery set. Enjoy!