Here is our recent press release with news of the playground equipment that is ready to ship to Ghana.

A large number of children in Ghana will soon be the first to enjoy a mobile playground, which has been donated by Sutcliffe Play. The company were contacted by The SAFE Foundation, a charity set up in the UK to help implement sustainable development projects to marginalised people in developing countries.

Almost two years ago, in Kumasi, Ghana, the charity teamed up with a local organisation, Teens Net Foundation, to combine efforts to help marginalised communities have access to health care in a ‘Centre of Hope’. The mutual aims of both charities are to especially help children suffering from HIV and AIDS who require ongoing medical treatment. A team of volunteers has recently returned from a trip which saw them build a new school.

“The SNUG play equipment donated by Sutcliffe Play, will give a new lease of life to underprivileged children who have no access to the very basic of human rights – happiness,” explains Lucy Dickenson, Managing Director of The SAFE Foundation. “There are no recreation facilities at all in Kumasi, and the introduction of this innovative type of playground will combine fun, education, physical activity and social engagement to children contributing to an overall improvement in their quality of life.”

With the help of TeensNet, the charity plan for the play equipment to be transported around the region, so that they can reach children in more remote areas. The SNUG play equipment, which is exclusive to Sutcliffe Play, is fully modular and can be packed up and shipped around. This will also benefit the children as it will encourage them to make their own structures, and stimulate creativity. TeensNet in Ghana will employ local people to drive the equipment around the region and they will receive payment from The SAFE Foundation through their ongoing fundraising activities.

Rob Whitelock, SNUG Creative Advisor in the UK says: “We believe that play is crucially important to the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of children.  It helps them to develop their own sense of risk and teaches them how to work independently and as part of a team.

“Play for plays sake should be an essential part of childhood, wherever you live in the world, so we’re delighted to be working with SAFE on such a worthy project that will introduce play, and its benefits, to children across Ghana.

Having recently passed the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, this donation from SAFE and Sutcliffe Play is a fantastic opportunity for children in the poorest communities in Kumasi to experience the freedom, fun and access to play that every child is entitled to. It will also motivate adults of the community to take action in child development and to be more proactive in securing a bright future for their families.