So Kids Can Be Kids: Playground for Manenberg, South Africa

Project Details

I am an undergraduate student from the University of Richmond interning at Manenberg Primary School in Cape Town for the semester. Manenberg is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of South Africa. It is a place where gang violence, drug abuse, and crippling poverty are the norm. Recently, the community has been embroiled in an almost two-month long gang war during which gang shootings have traumatized the residents and most importantly, the children. These children attend Manenberg Primary School, an under-funded and low-performing school with oversized classes and a dilapidated school building. The playground at Manenberg Primary has been virtually destroyed by vandals who continuously break into the school and steal the playground equipment. Even worse, the staff has found broken beer bottles, used condoms, and human waste in the play area on several occasions. Miraculously a local fencing company has agreed to donate 90 meters of fencing to surround the playground area in order to prevent vandalism, loitering, and theft. This gives us an opportunity to build a safe, clean, and functional playground for the children. My goal is to build a fantastical playground to which the children can escape and forget about their stresses and fears.