Why Playgrounds?
We see playgrounds as more than just playgrounds. They provide a safe place for free play, which is essential to early childhood development.
But in Guatemala, like in much of the developing world, learning resources are scarce. More than 30 percent of the population remains illiterate, and that rate goes up among indigenous populations, who are disproportionately affected by poverty in the country.
Our partner organization in Guatemala is Fundap, an established nonprofit that oversees 180 schools throughout Western Guatemala.
Fundap's mission is "development with dignity," and the organization works primarily with indigenous populations in the areas of economic development, health, and education.
To date, we have worked with organizations like Fundap across the world to build more than 50 playgrounds in 10 countries.
Play360 playgrounds provide large-scale, hands-on learning resources to keep kids engaged in school. Take the tire calculator, for example-- something that is viewed as trash is transformed into a tool for learning numbers and simple equations.
