Toy Libraries, Places to Play and Develop for the African Children - PDF document

Toy Libraries, Places to Play and Develop for the African Children Hand out of the poster presented during the OMEP Conference Meeting the Learning and Developmental Needs of Our Young Citizens Institute of Education, Hong Kong July, 2011 Madeleine Baillargeon, OMEP Vice-President for North America & the Caribbean, OMEP- Canada Board member-at-large; Rolande Filion, professor, Sainte-Foy College, Quebec, Canada, OMEP-Canada Board member-at-large; Patrick Bernard, director C.I.E.LO (Coopération internationale pour les Équilibres locaux), France. What is a toy library? A toy library is a play area where toys and play materials are available to attending children. It works under the supervision and management of a toy librarian who is

especially trained to do so. Like books in a library, materials are classified according to specific criteria. In the toy libraries of the present project, the ESAR classification system is used. ESAR is the French acronym for exercise, symbolic, construction and rule play or games. This system relies on a widely shared view of the large categories of play observed during the development of children. Toy libraries established by OMEP in Latin America, in the years 1994-96, and by C.I.E.LO in Latin America and Africa, more recently, use this system which is also very popular in European toy libraries. Toy libraries, what for? Play is a child’s right. As shown by a long tradition of research in child psychology and education, play is essential for the development, learning, physical and mental well being of children. Too few children from disadvantaged families have access to play, particularly because of scarce household resources, insufficient early childhood services, limited space in precarious housing, insufficient public play grounds, lack of parents’ play tradition, and family disintegration processes observed in urban environments of developing countries. Toy libraries offer these children excellent means of informal learning, education in citizenship values, prevention of psychosocial problems and integral development. Located in the heart of their neighbourhood, toy libraries represent an alternative for children who have no access to early childhood programs, even to primary school, by providing a secure place where they can play with age appropriate and culturally relevant materials. This may help thwart some of the impacts of poverty. Toy libraries have a flexible and relatively inexpensive infrastructure, which disadvantaged communities have shown to be able to support and manage.

A toy library project in Africa In line with the promotion of children’s right to play and to education, three Millennium Development Goals, and from the perspective of sustainable development (social pillar), OMEP is presently involved in creating a network of toy libraries in Africa in cooperation with the French NGO, C.I.E.LO. This project comprises two stages : 1) establishing a toy library in Democratic Republic of Congo, and 2) establishing a network of already operating African toy libraries. 1. First stage : Establishing a toy Library in Democratic Republic of Congo The first step is now almost completed. It began with a request from OMEP-Democratic Republic of Congo wishing to start a toy library in DRC. It started during winter 2009 when the three authors of this poster wrote the project, and it has been completed at the end of April 2011 with a mission to follow-up the toy library which opened in February 2011. In line with the vision shared by OMEP and C.I.E.LO, and also by most important agencies involved in development, the aim is to train the persons locally in charge to empower them to manage the toy library by themselves, once the initial funds have been spent. Since the project is designed to reach children who have little access to services, the facility has to be located in a disadvantaged neighbourhood and in a place easy to access. Candidate toy librarians are recruited in the same community because they must know it well and be able to integrate the toy library into the community. The project is implemented in partnership with a local organisation with the same vision, and which can obtain local support and resources necessary to start the project and keep it on the longer term. State of progress : Winter 2009 : writing of the project by the authors.

Summer 2009: agreement between partners, approval by OMEP World Executive and World Assembly, beginning of the fund raising campaign by OMEP-Canada and C.I.E.LO. Fall 2009 : fund raising completed. Winter 2010 : training mission in DRC postponed twice, local conditions not being met. Spring 2010 : looking for another partner in DRC. Fall 2010 : agreement with Association for the Family (AFA), preparing for the mission. Winter 2011 : end of January, mission of trainers from C.I.E.LO and OMEP-Canada in Kinshasa for training and support to start the toy Library in Kinshasa. Opening of the toy Library, February 10. Spring 2011 : Follow-up mission, end of April.

Partners The Canadian National Committee of OMEP (OMEP-Canada), the French NGO Coopération internationale pour les équilibres locaux ( International Cooperation for Local Harmony ) (C.I.E.LO), and Association for the Family (AFA) participate in creating and initiating the operation of the Kinshasa toy library. 2. Second stage : Establishing a network of African toy libraries In the second step of the project, the toy librarians from already operating toy libraries in a few African French speaking countries will gather in a network. The goal is to help them develop professional competencies, mutual support and thus favour the durability of the toy libraries. During a one week meeting of continuing training, based on a problem solving approach, toy librarians will be invited to share on problems and challenges they face in their toy library. Each of them will present a problem or situation they will choose as subject matter of the personal project they will realise. The trainers will manage the meeting and will provide distance guidance of projects conducted in each toy library and shared with the group. State of progress : February 2010: grant proposal submitted by OMEP to the participation program of NGO with an official status to UNESCO. End of October 2010 : positive answer, proposal granted. The 2 nd stage is secured. Meanwhile, the C.I.E.LO partner receives the necessary funds to answer the request of OMEP-Ivory Coast to establish a 2 nd C.I.E.LO toy Library in Ivory Coast. Mission planned for December 2010, postponed to summer 2011 because of the situation after the elections there. The 2 nd stage is under preparation. It will start by a toy librarians meeting, planned to be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Partners The Canadian National Committee of OMEP (OMEP-Canada), the French NGO Coopération internationale pour les équilibres locaux ( International Cooperation for Local Harmony ) (C.I.E.LO), and Association Ivoirienne pour l’Enfance ( Ivorian Association for Childhood )/OMEP-Ivory Coast are partnering in this 2 nd stage of toy libraries networking. Donors The partners gratefully acknowledge the generous support of their donors and sponsors who make this project possible : UNESCO, for the grant from the participation program of NGO with an official status; Foundation Un monde par tous ( A World by All) , under the aegis of Fondation de France, for a grant to C.I.E.LO;

Generous friends and members of OMEP-Canada; OMEP, for a donation from its Children’s Fund; The Congregation of Sisters Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil, Quebec., Canada; Caisses populaires Desjardins Pointe-Sainte-Foy and Bellevue, Quebec, Canada; Sainte-Foy College, Quebec, Canada.