Community Play Library-Transform Children's Lives

This is our 2^nd quarterly report for the Community Play Library (“Ludoteca”) in Quibdó, Colombia.  The project is led by the Corporación Organización El Minuto de Dios.

The necessary administrative procedures were completed for reconstruction of the classrooms to be used for the project at the Colegio Santa Coloma.  An agreement was formalized in which the Colegio Santa Coloma committed to financing the renovations.  With the receipt of the funds, the call for tenders for the hiring of labor and the selection of material suppliers began.

The social worker in charge of the Minuto de Dios Play Library in Istmina, another municipality in the department of Chocó, held several coordination meetings with key stakeholders of the project in Quibdó.  First, she met with the principal and teaching staff of the Colegio Santa Coloma to transfer the methodology that will guide the management of the play library. At the meeting, a detailed explanation was presented of the components of the play library's operation:  promotion of sports, psychosocial support and family strengthening, cultural and artistic promotion, nutritional recovery, and environmental responsibility. Each of these components was adapted to the specific characteristics of the institution and the community, ensuring alignment with local needs.

During the meeting, the model of the Play Libraries was presented in detail, highlighting the principles and criteria that will guide the design and development of the activities.   Special emphasis was placed on creating a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment that fosters the comprehensive development of children and adolescents, allowing them to participate in activities that promote their personal, social, and educational growth.

At the same time, a process of outreach was carried out with the direct beneficiaries of the project, i.e., the school's children, to identify their expectations, concerns, and needs. This outreach process is essential to tailor the activities and to ensure that the space fosters their active participation, emotional development, and integration into the educational process of the play library.  Furthermore, a detailed plan was established for the material and logistical resources necessary, including the acquisition of furniture, teaching materials, and supplies. These elements will be procured once the construction work is completed, ensuring that the space is fully functional and suitable for the planned activities.  

• Ludoteca - complete report in Spanish with photos (DOCX)

This is our first quarterly report for the Community Play Library (“Ludoteca”) in Quibdó, in the department of Chocó in Colombia.  The project was developed by the Corporación Organización El Minuto de Dios.

In response to the $10,154 received from the campaign, less than the original goal, we adapted the project’s design, while securing support from two important partners.  The Community Play Library will operate in a school building, Colegio Santa Coloma, in Quibdó (see attached photos prior to any improvements).  The head of the school has committed to assign two teachers to lead the activities of the Ludoteca three afternoons per week, from 2-6pm.  They will be supported by volunteers (local parents), which should promote ownership of the initiative by the community.  We estimate that the program will have approximately 40 children, 5-12 years-old, attending.

Minera Cobre, a mining company that operates in the region, will fund renovations to the bathrooms at the school as well as the second-floor classrooms where the activities of the Community Play Library will take place.  It is estimated that these structural improvements will take 2 months.

Minuto de Dios will use the funds raised through GlobalGiving to equip the rooms (furniture, educational materials, computers and software, musical instruments, sports equipment, etc.) and provide training to the teachers and local volunteers and oversight of the program.

We look forward to informing you in the next quarterly report of the activities that have begun taking place at the Ludoteca.