Beneficiaries: 1,000 children and youth
Completion date: January 2025
Country: El Salvador
Executive summary
Children need play—it is not just something to pass the time. Play allows opportunities for children to develop vital social, physical, emotional and problem-solving skills. Although all children need play, playgrounds and quality play equipment are more difficult to access in communities experiencing poverty. Children living in poverty often do not have safe outdoor areas to explore and play with their friends.
For children and youth living in the eastern region of El Salvador, access to safe play spaces is often limited. El Salvador has implemented initiatives to improve child and youth development, but many areas like the eastern region have little or no recreational spaces. Outdoor play and safe spaces such as playgrounds encourage healthy physical and emotional development—without spaces like these, children often spend more time indoors and do not have as many opportunities to develop important peer-to-peer relationships.
The staff at five Compassion centres in eastern El Salvador have noticed the lack of safe outdoor play spaces for the children and youth who attend their centres. Although they have tried to facilitate group games such as soccer, the lack of resources has limited the types of programs and activities they can offer. Centre staff want to do more for their program participants.
This intervention will provide five Compassion centres with the development of playground spaces, outdoor recreational equipment and games, board games and furniture for table games. Participating in recreational games and activities helps children and youth develop better communication skills, increases self-esteem, fosters teamwork and promotes a culture of peace. Staff will also receive educational and psychological training so they can provide socio-emotional guidance and lessons to participating children and youth.
Summary
Background
For several years, the Compassion centres ES0027, ES0806, ES0909, ES0910 and ES0981 in eastern El Salvador have observed the need to have an adequate space equipped with age-appropriate outdoor games and activities for participating children and youth. Many of the children living in these areas experience high levels of poverty, lack of education and limited access to resources. Teachers and tutors living in this region often cannot get the training they need to adequately support their students. Because of this, many children and youth feel do not receive the support they need to promote their holistic development.
The need
Children and youth living in the eastern area of El Salvador do not have access to safe outdoor spaces to play. Outside of a classroom, there are very few opportunities for children to enjoy recreational activities with their peers.
Your gift will equip five of our frontline church partners with the materials and resources they need to create safe play areas for children, promoting their social, emotional, physical and spiritual growth and development. Each centre will install an outdoor playground and will receive equipment for recreational games. They will also receive board games and furniture for table games. Centre staff will also receive the training they need to encourage vital childhood development and learning through play and provide the care and support these children and youth desperately need to thrive.
What your gift will do
Your gift will provide 1,000 children across five Compassion centres in El Salvador with new playgrounds and recreational equipment, including:
- Playground and recreational games kits
- Board games and cooperative games
- Furniture for table games
- Construction and development of outdoor play spaces
- Transportation
- Tutor training
- Monitoring and evaluation
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$6,750.00
- Handling of funds: Compassion El Salvador will ensure this intervention stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: Compassion centre staff will keep attendance records and will monitor students for physical, social and emotional progress. A final evaluation will take place at the end of the intervention. Churches will form maintenance committees who will carry out maintenance tasks to ensure the play equipment is in good working order.