Children play swings hapiily (Photo: VOV)

During the recent lunar new year holiday children in Krue hamlet in Dak Lak’s Krong Pak district gathered at Phan Boi Chau primary school to play on the slides and swings.

Le Tran Linh Chi, whose family is part of the local Tay ethnic community, said all the children are excited about playing there.

“I want to say thanks to the uncles and aunts who built the playground for us. I’m very happy and will encourage all my friends to play there,” said Chi.

Fifth grader Vi Y Quyen of the Ede ethnic group told VOV that he has played with his friends almost every day since the new playground was built.

He said, “We never had these games available before. I’m very happy and I promise to study harder.”

Teacher Tran Hai Duong said Phan Boi Chau primary school has five classes with a total of 100 students, all from ethnic minority groups. This is one of the most disadvantaged schools in Vu Bon commune. After school the students used to go to the fields with their parents to graze the family cows, hunt birds, or play football on the grass.

But it’s different now, according to Mr. Duong, adding, “Having a recreational area like this makes the children want to go to school and improves their physical fitness. The school administration and the local youth unions will work together to make it more fun and beneficial for the children.”

The 1,300 USD playground in Krue hamlet is the third one built by the charity group “BMT Connecting Love”.

Le Nhu Huyen Tram, the group’s leader, said that surveys of remote and disadvantaged areas made her realize that kids there had no access to any recreational facilities. After school, they usually went fishing at a nearby pond, lake, or stream, where the risk of a drowning accident was high.

The group worked with local administrations and mobilized the resources needed to give the disadvantaged children warm clothes, school supplies, and other necessities and build them a playground.

Tram said, “This year we plan to build 10 playgrounds for poor communes in Dak Lak province. We will try to raise more money. If the donations are insufficient, the group members will contribute their own money.”

Over the past five years, with the support of the Youth Union, Dak Lak has built nearly 200 playgrounds for children at a cost of 438,000 USD, to give children a safer place to play and one more reason to come to school.