Danish Kristina Kunz Kharazmi lives in Dubai, and she has been gathering and donating Lego to school children in Manila.
In a small city on the outskirts of Manila, 80 schoolchildren get to build toy houses, cities and farms, all with Lego bricks donated by hundreds of Dubai residents.
“My kids build all the time,” says Danish Kristina Kunz Kharazmi. “We have thousands of Lego pieces at home and one day it occurred to me that there are so many children out there who are not as privileged as mine”.
In May, the Napilas Integrated School in the Philippines, which largely depends on donations, received a massive box from Dubai resident Kristina Kunz Kharazmi. It did not contain the books, clothes or stationery supplies that the community school in Silay City usually receives from donors around the world. Instead, it was packed with Lego.
Kristina began collecting bricks from her children’s collection, then spread the word among friends. She created the first box by initiating donation drives in six schools in Dubai, asking parents to donate blocks through flyers and social media alerts.
Kharazmi believes play is an integral part of the education process, which is why such toys are as important as the other supplies sent to underprivileged communities.
“There are several drives to send basic supplies, books and uniforms at the moment, which are necessary,” she says. “But at the same time, children need to be exposed to creative avenues, and building blocks are a fantastic way to do it”.
Lego is a Danish company that has been involved with several research papers on the effect of construction toys on imagination and promoting Stem (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education. Such blocks can be used for science projects, building robots, practical maths lessons and encouraging creativity among children.
Source The National
