OPENING THE CHILDRENS ACTIVITY CENTRE!!!

With only a week and a half left in Makindu, I was absolutely thrilled to culminate my Peace Corps service with an opening ceremony for the Children’s Educational Activity Centre! On Saturday 11th December, there was a very informal, children-focused event to officially open the playground and to publicly launch the centre onto the community’s radar. The week leading up to the opening, a few of my fellow PCVs Paula Dorney and Carly Brown helped me and a few local community members paint the equipment.



With money raised from friends and family in the US, we were able to build three sets of swings, three slides, three see-saws, and two sets of monkey bars, as well as purchase some jump ropes, skateboards, basketballs, and a basketball hoop.





The informal opening ceremony lasted from 10am to about 2pm, with children playing on the equipment throughout, a brief gift-giving ceremony to show appreciation for those involved in the centre’s development to-date, an official unveiling of the opening commemoration sign, and a birthday celebration for a few of the children.





There really could not have been a better way for me to wrap up my time in Makindu and to know that the community will be left with a valuable addition! My greatest appreciation to those who donated money to the Peace Corps Partnership Program project for construction of the play equipment: Mike and Janet Tyburski (Dad and Mom), RPCV Tina Storck, Jeff Gibb, Wendy Mitchell, Karen Hannum, Leslie Breaux, RPCVs of Madison WI, and the UPS Foundation. And further gratitude it due to all those who have been supportive in non-financial ways of this project and my last two years of PC service in Makindu. None of this would have been possible without you!!!