Every Christmas, we choose a grassroots project to support - this year we couldn’t be more excited to be helping out Playgrounds for Peace in Dunkirk Refugee Camp. Read on to find out more about this initiative from some extraordinary ‘ordinary’ folk from Sheffield, and how we’re turning the charity Christmas card idea on it’s head to raise some much-needed funds.

In March this year, some passionate and motivated volunteers set up a refugee children’s centre in Dunkirk Refugee Camp. From it’s beginnings in a tiny tent with a handful of children, the centre now provides play-based learning to over a 100 children a month, running a nursery/playschool for children aged 1-7 and a safe play space for children aged 7-11+.

Three ordinary folk from Sheffield (a tree surgeon, a science-teacher-turned-landscape-architect and a music industry entrepreneur), heard that the children couldn’t play safely outside the centre, as the playground was flooded and full of stones.

 

 

Using the generous support of their local networks and their transferable skills, they worked with some refugees living in the camp to fix the flooding issue. A second trip has seen woodchip laid around the play equipment for those all-important soft landings, and the resurfacing of an area for ball games will shortly be underway.

 

 

If you would like to support this fantastic initiative, you can safely donate via the Playgrounds for Peace JustGiving page. And this year, we’ve decided to do charity Christmas cards…Social Enterprise style! Instead of selling cards to raise funds for ourselves, we will be giving them away and will donate £1 to Playgrounds for Peace for every Aid Works christmas card that is sent. So if you receive one of these cards (featuring artwork by the newest member of the Aid Works team!), get on Facebook or twitter and tell us about it!

Wishing you and yours a safe and peaceful Christmas, from everyone in the Aid Works team.