Play ground

There was a container shipped to HEAL Africa about a month or two ago (okay, it was shipped like 6 months ago, but that's when it got here). In that container were lots of medical supplies (as always), a boat (inflatable and a motor) for Maji Matulivu as a get-away boat, and a play ground set. It was a prefabricated, all components in 7 boxes play set with swings, monkey bars, a slide, rope ladder, stairs and a ladder, a rock wall, and a platform with a canopy. It was a pretty cool thing made of cedar. Whoever sent the play set was thinking ahead because they also sent all the tools we would need to put it together. After Lyn decided it should go over by the church and the women's homes, Chris and I (he was on the Wisconsin team) started setting it up.

The only real problem was Lyn first told us it should go by the Jubilee Center. Or she told Chris where it should go and he just got it wrong. After spending half a day watching surgeries (a cleft lip and a rather messy abdominal one) and looking for all of the boxes, we were finally able to start putting it together around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. That night we worked until dark and everything was going fine. We got the ladder/step on one side, and the rock wall on the other to connect to the platform and it was a pretty solid set up. Only problem was it was in the wrong spot as we found out on the way home with Lyn that night.

Next day we spend an hour making it into three parts and then carrying those three parts to where it should go and building it again. Onward to the center of the earth!

We proceeded and set up the whole thing by that 2pm, including a bit of a drink break. It was so cool to build it though. Everyone wanted to know what it was and what it was for. No one here has ever seen a play ground. The adults didn't know what it was, the kids didn't know what it was, and very few people guessed what it was. After we told them they started smiling and thinking it was a great idea.

Jean Claude has a program with kids at HEAL and as we finished he was in one of his programs with the kids. I went up to him and told him we were done and that it was for the kids and he should feel free to use it if he wanted to. We went to get something to drink and came back. All the kids were lined up at the step/ladder end and going up one at a time to go down the slide one at a time and Jean Claude had everything organized and the kids were having a blast. Then Chris goes up to one of the kids in line, taps him on the shoulder, and puts him on a swing a pushed him. Chaos ensued as all the kids made a scramble for the two remaining swings, and once those were no more they just abandoned the line all together and did what kids are supposed to do. The chaotic jubilee was awesome to watch and all the women at the transit house were cheering and laughing watching the children. Everyone was so happy and thanked us many times. Building that swing set was so instantly gratifying that it almost made me want to stop doing agriculture and start an organization to just put of playgrounds for kids who have never seen one before.

For another bonus, I inherited the tools that came with the play ground and will keep them until I leave for upkeep of the playground if needed, and basically to make sure they don't walk off as is likely to happen if they are just left around the HEAL compound.