TOY BANK PROJECT

An innovative pilot project, the first ever in the state to make available age appropriate toys to all children, particularly children of weaker section within a Panchayat limit. 

Introduction

Toys not only fulfill the children’s need to play but also provide vital developmental inputs. During early childhood every child need appropriate toys that enhance their physical, mental, intellectual and emotional development. Every community takes care to build children’s park and such other facilities that can be shared by children of every strata of society.

But toys are still beyond the reach of most of the children, particularly the children of disadvantageous sections of society. Age appropriate and creative toys hardly ever come to the reach of children of under privileged sections.

As a result a considerable number of children of our society never get a chance to play with toys, which retards their growth in many ways. Unlike libraries, from where books can be borrowed the facility to borrow toys is non-existent. Toy bank is an innovative, pilot project to find a creative solution to this long felt problem.

Objectives

1. Make age appropriate toys available to all children in the age group of 0-12 in Venganoor Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district.

2. Initiate a model program to make toys a crucial input for emotional, social and intellectual development.

3. To propagate the idea of toy banking in Panchayats of the state by this program.

4. Act as a model agency to precipitate various learning program based on toys.

5. Establish toy banks in as much Panchayats of the district in 5 years time.

6. Establish a network of toy sharing, linking various governmental and non-governmental organizations.

7. Re-establish the local tradition of toy making, by organizing toy-making workshops.

8. Make use of the private collections of toys for the benefit of community.

Period

Five years from July 2004 – July 2009.

The Project

The Project envisages to collect and circulate toys for children of all age groups from 0-12 within Venganoor Panchayat. A carefully selected collection of toys is planned. Different set of toys will be made available. A specially equipped van will circulate the toys to 19 Anganwadies and 15 SC colonies and schools within the panchayat. New educational tools making use of computer technology will be a major part of the educational materials. A trainer will be sent along with the Toy Bank to help children make use of the material.

The toys will be available for children of each center for various periods from one week to one month. The toys will be available for use in various community centers in 5 panchayats nearby where there is high percentage of SC and fishermen population. Toy bank will visit each area according to a pre prepared schedule. The toy bank van will be creatively used to popularize the toy bank concept in other parts of the state by participating in seminars, fares and festivals.

Benefits

• All children in the age group of 0-12 in the Panchayat will get chance to make use of the toys, play and study materials from the toy bank.

• Schools, community centers and Anganwadies will be regularly visited by the toy bank to share the toys.

• The idea of toy bank will be popularized all over the state of Kerala.

• The toy bank concept will revolutionize the early child development program.

Financial Analysis

What the Sponsor will get?

• The project is the first ever-major initiative for early child development in Kerala, which will get the attention of National and International agencies.

• The project being executed in Venganoor near Kovalam has caught the attention of a large number of visitors.

• A prestigious social project for the benefit of women and children, which will bring credit to sponsor as a path-breaking project.

• Resulting media attention, national and state-wide coverage.
  

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