By Mitali Pinto | Fundraising and communications manager
Dear Toybank Project Supporters,
It gives me immense pride to share with you this report and thank you for all the support shown to get us this far. On August 15th 2016, Toybank turned 12! Over these years we have grown and impacted the lives of over 34,000 children through 251 game libraries and play centres.
Toybank, under The Opentree Foundation, constantly works to provide children with access to healthy play and games to ultimately reach our long-term goal of addressing development needs in children. Specifically, for the months of August, September and October, Toybank has conducted 192 play sessions at our centres across Mumbai, reaching out to 6441 children. Our field officers have also been focusing on conducting theme-based play sessions where a certain topic such as life skills, is discussed with the children to make the sessions interative. In these three months, we've also replaced toys at 19 of our centres and restocked them with new and innovative games to suit each child’s need.
In the month of August, we spread out to a new state in India, Rajastan, where our play centre has been set-up at a village crèche in Tilonia. The toys had been mobilized through toy collection drives in Delhi. Our Delhi chapter volunteers have been solely responsible for this entire project, and for this we are ever grateful! Through our play sessions, we encourage our children to work together, use their creativity and imagination. We’re also ensuring that these kids enjoy and get to experience such an integral part of their childhood.
Toybank also celebrated the Joy of Giving week from the 2nd to the 8th of October. We had various corporates, schools and individuals who engaged with us to run toy collection drives and through this, mobilize toys for our game libraries. We wrapped up the Joy of Giving week with Toybanks annual fundraiser event- the Toybank Fiesta 2016. The success of the two-day festival was due to the efforts and commitment of Toybank supports- volunteers, trustees, sponsors and individuals- all who firmly stand by Toybank’s cause. The event schedule featured live music, meaningful discussions and a brief into the world of Toybank and what we believe in. Through our various engagement activities, we created awareness and let people know why we exist, garnering more support and fundraising for our cause along the way.
Story from the Field:
Seven-year-old Priya (name changed) is an autistic child at our play centre in Bandra, Mumbai. A very quiet child, Priya also displayed poor motor skill performance, repetitive behaviour and had low levels of interaction among her peers. As initially noticed by Toybank field officers and the centre-in-charge, she was unable to build any bonds as she failed to familiarize faces and voices. Priya also found difficulty in responding to complex and non-verbal methods of communication.
The Toybank play sessions at Priya’s school are conducted 6 days a week. It is during these sessions that our field officers personally focus on Priya and provide her the right toys and games. She is encouraged to play with special puzzles that aid in enhancing her motor skills. The bright blocks, sorters and screws allow Priya to build awareness of her own self-capacities. Priya was also introduced to thumb painting by our field officers. After initially being hesitant, she started enjoying to play during the Toybank sessions.
On close observation, Priya has shown positive development signs and increased interaction with other children as well as her teachers. She is able to concentrate and pick up the toys. Her mother has also informed us of Priya’s positive basic development and is showing signs of ‘expressing’ her happiness on being able to achieve a task during play.
Through more guidance and hand holding support, we at Toybank firmly believe that Priya will benefit through our continued play sessions.
Each play session is carefully designed to adapt to the need of each child, in this case for children like Priya. Toybank strives to provide the best to these children through our interventions.
We thank you once again for your contribution and to continue supporting us please do hit the donate button on our Project page. We look forward to your continued support to ensure that all children in India are given this opportunity to play, and in the process, help in their growth and development.
Warm regards,
Shweta Chari,
Founder and CEO, Toybank
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