Follow
As a parent, nothing touches our heart more than when we witness a child's pure, simple joy.
It is both an honorable and humbling experience altogether.
Last June 6, I am grateful to feel and see this remarkable human spirit when Johnson and Johnson Philippines’s Di Lang Laro ang Laro invited me to witness the turn-over of the unique, community based children's playground they constructed for the typhoon-stricken kids of Sagkahan Elementary School, Tacloban City, Leyte.
Children, who have lost families and friends in the typhoon Yolanda (int'l name: Haiyan), are back on their feet scrambling to get their butts on the "dalusdos" (slide), eager to ride in wild abandon on the swings as they free their worries away.
As an advocate of active play, Johnson and Johnson Philippines’s Di Lang Laro ang Laro in partnership with the Department of Education and Play Pilipinas, took a proactive stance in helping school-aged kids of Tacloban overcome trauma through the promotion of active play. Through the project, the Johnson's Baby team continues its advocacy in promoting 1 hour of active play everyday for the holistic development of kids.
Kris Llanes, J&J's senior brand manager, encouraged parents to have their kids engage in play to help in their healing process. "The first six years of a child's life are the best years for them. Their minds are like sponges. How they pick up things, how they develop things are based on that first six years," said Sigrid Perez of Play Pilipinas.
Niceta Galura, the school principal of Sagkahan Elementary School, is just all too grateful for Tacloban's first ever playground. She is glad that J&J went beyond addressing the physical needs of the children as they sought to bring normalcy back to the lives of the kids through play therapy.
The playground is customized for the traumatized kids of Tacloban. Teachers and parents were consulted while the kids were asked to draw their dream playground. "It was very interesting because most of the kids drew a house probably because they lost their homes. So the playground built includes a tree house where they can re-build new happy memories while playing," Kris said.
"The kids also drew rain, fighting the rain with swords. Moms say that up to now young kids still cry when they hear the rain. So we have a special place for them where they can play with water to lessen their fear of it," said Kris.
The playground makes use of locally available materials (recycled if possible) and uses the local community to help build the playground. In this way, the whole community will take a more active role in the playground’s sustainability and upkeep.
As I saw the kids genuinely happy, my heart gave a small wince because active play comes naturally to them. As opposed to my gadget-attached kids that need my participation in facilitating active play. I'm glad that I'm part of the "Di Lang Laro ang Laro" campaign because it is a constant reminder of the role I should play in promoting active play in my kids. Mahirap, pero kailangan.
I hope you can join me in reliving my Johnson's Baby Di Lang Laro ang Laro Tacloban experience by watching this moving video of the kids at play.
To Johnson and Johnson "Di Lang Laro ang Laro," thanks for giving me the honor to witness the healing powers of active play in Tacloban. To join Johnson and Johnson's "Di Lang Laro ang Laro" play advocacy, visit Johnson's Baby FB page.
Honored to Witness Help in Action,
Post-note:
Apart from J&J's efforts, Red Cross and Unicef are also very much present in Tacloban. PVC classrooms like these were donated to compensate for the classrooms destroyed by Yolanda.