Some Background
GVI India has been supporting primary schools in Kochi since 2010. In 2015 we received a request to support St. Louis primary school and we have been working with them since then. The school has very limited resources and options to develop structured extracurricular activities and organise non-classroom based learning as been limited as a result. Although St Louis is a private school, they charge minimal school fees and most of the students’ families live in the middle-to-low-income Mundamveli area. The school does receive some support from the Dioceses of Cochin (Mundamveli church), but this is minimal.
The need for a security wall
Partly as the result of some safety-related incidents, the school management indicated that there was a need for additional security. They asked specifically for some demarcation around the playground, as an absolute priority for the safety of their students. The school did not have the funds for this and so we offered financial support.
The wall we were able to fund, now closes off the playground while being transparent enough to allow for social control.
The Bamboo Playground
In addition to the wall, a bamboo playground was also built. Structured play is important for students and a playground gives extra allure to a school, which will in turn increase income. The newly created playground allows teachers to let the children play in a controlled environment while tending to other tasks and thus increases efficiency. The bamboo playground is the first of it’s kind in Cochin but is when maintained well, very durable and has proven to work well in similar environments. It’s a relatively low-cost,
The bamboo playground is the first of its kind in Kochi. It is a relatively low-cost, low environmental footprint and highly durable playground solution. We are confident that the structures are very durable and, when well maintained, have proven to work well and last a long time.
The school has about 100 students, which will benefit from the playground and security wall on a daily basis. This project will also benefit many students who will attend St Louis in future.
This project was funded by a donation made from Stelly’s School in Canada. A total of £6 800 was spent on this infrastructure development for St Louis School.
