Toy Library is a community venue from where children, their families and careers can borrow toys, puzzles, games, and books that are designed to support children’s development and learning through playing. Toy libraries exist in Roma communities of many Decade member countries, enabling children from the most marginalized and disadvantaged homes to access educational toys. However, these Toy Libraries not only educate children but involve parents as well in playing and spending quality time with their children.
Toy Library is a community venue from where children, their families and careers can borrow toys, puzzles, games, and books that are designed to support children’s development and learning through playing. Toy libraries exist in Roma communities of many Decade member countries, enabling children from the most marginalized and disadvantaged homes to access educational toys. However, these Toy Libraries not only educate children but involve parents as well in playing and spending quality time with their children. The items from the library may be borrowed and enjoyed at home with the family members, aiming to affect the home learning activities as well.
This spring Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina were hit by the biggest rainstorm of the last 100 years. In Belgrade schools and sport centres were turned into shelters for the thousands of evacuee families. Unfortunately, the Toy libraries located in Obrenovac, Karljevo, Kragujevac, Krusevac, Novi Sad, which were supporting a total of 505 Roma children, were badly damaged.
Roma Education Fund allocated an Emergency Support for its Serbian and Bosnian partner organisations to help matching the basic needs of affected families and help their transition back to their homes wherever possible.
Help is still greatly needed for the families and for the organisations which are implementing the ECD (early childhood development) projects.
WE WOULD NEED YOUR HELP TO:
– PURCHASE new toys and furniture (small chairs and tables, shelves, carpets) for the Toy Libraries;
– RENOVATE the Toy Library buildings (painting, roof mending) ;
– SUPPORT the affected families and children (clothing, hygienic packages, supplies for baby, materials for the households);
The Mother – Child educational project would like to reduce the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma by offering alternative ECD services for young Roma children, improving the parenting skills of parents and strengthening the communication between Roma communities and educational institutions.
In several European countries ECD facilities are lacking due to insufficient number of places in kindergartens or simply the quality of services are ways under the required minimum, characteristically in rural or underdeveloped areas.
The Roma Education Fund has adopted the methodology of Toy Library and adjusted it to the Roma communities that get both children and their parents prepared for compulsory schooling.
In Serbia there are five Toy libraries operating. REF runs 11 of these libraries across Central- Eastern Europe.
Both financial support and in-kind support is welcome! For sending in-kind support, please contact info@romaeducationfund.org.
For financial support please, send your donation through the online donate system with “Serbian Toy Library” in the purpose field.
