Green inclusion! An inclusive playground for the Paediatric Hospital of Asmara

Title of the project

Green inclusion! An inclusive playground for the Paediatric Hospital of Asmara

Place of the action

Asmara, Eritrea

Description of the context

Along with the rehabilitation of the entire Orotta Paediatric Hospital in Asmara, Annulliamo la Distanza would like to enhance the green outdoor are of the Orotta Paediatric hospital that presently is abandoned. This intervention will guarantee the basic rights to children, the right to play, both for able and disabled children who for various reasons visit the hospital facilities. By keeping this in mind, we aim at investing economic resources for this area that ultimately will contribute to reducing the urban decay and to giving a clear identity of this hospital area, making it becoming a meeting and aggregation place. The main actions will be implemented are:

1) Visual enhancement and improvement of usability for all, in particular with respect to the removal of architectural barriers;

2) Creation of an outdoor playground area properly equipped with games (slides, swings, soft rubber tiles) for different age groups, that are ultimately accessible and inclusive for all;

3) Inclusion of green area (trees, meadow) and benches to encourage socialization meetings between mothers and relax for children.

The project

Currently, the outdoor are is in a condition of general degradation that does not suit the context of health care for children. Our intent is transforming the area around the Paediatric hospital into a place characterized by care, accessibility and hospitality, capable of being enjoyable in an indiscriminately way by any child or adult, even by the most fragile people.
The project involves the arrangement of new pavement and the new construction of a wheelchair accessible ramp to the hospital. On the opposite side, in front of the main entrance of the building, a new wheelchair accessible ramp will be built to allow access to the elevator level from the outside area.

The flooring of the new games will be in soft rubber and will also try to integrate chromatically with the colors of the surrounding area. The soft rubber flooring will be adequately sized to meet the safety requirements intrinsically connected to the equipment set up as required by international standard, a coplanar surface will be created that will allow movement and free play for all.

A new swing with basket and cage seat will be positioned to suit different age groups.
There will also be a swing that can be used by 2 or 4 children, a small slide suitable for children up to 4.5 years, a spring toy, a play house and a rotating carousel also suitable for children with physical disabilities.
In the choice of games, for the aspect related to inclusion, we have oriented ourselves in interpreting the accessibility of a game not as an absolute datum, discarding everything that would be precluded to children who use a wheelchair or other aids for mobility, but evaluating the accessibility to the degree of ability of the child who is using that game. The personal ability will probably be different from that of other children who are in the same physical conditions, therefore the same game can offer different opportunities of use that will vary according to the different abilities.
The project has tried to propose a diversified system of outdoor playground equipment: not dedicated games for a small group but games for everyone.
The playground area will be enriched with shaded benches placed in several points to ensure different meeting places.
The play area project involves the implementation of greenery and the enhancement of existing trees.

Specifically, you will buy:
– Rotating carousel structure
– Swing with basket and cage seat
– Playground with slide
– 4-seater pivot
– Playhouse
– Spring game-Turtle
– Benches
– soft rubber tiles

Achieved results

A protocol agreement between AnlaDi, the Eritrean Health Minister and the Orotta Hospital of Asmara was signed in July 2021.

Commitments of the Parties concerning the development of the project were included in the protocol. Furthermore, we hired an international engineer and an international architect who follow the work from Italy and will conduct missions on the field. In August 2021 our engineer conducted a monitoring mission in Eritrea. On that occasion he could detail the civil work, the mechanical work and the electric one calculation. Then it was sent to Segen company, the only construction company authorized to refurbish the Orotta Hospital. Throughout 2022, the contract was signed after a long negotiation.

The project received an important contribution thanks to Waldensian Church 8X100 funds and the support of L.G.R company. A fundraising campaign on the platform has been created too. It allowed us to fully cover the expense. Following a careful assessment by our architect, in April 2023 we identified an Italian company from Bolzano from which we bought all toys in the project list. In August 2023, a ship that was carrying our container departed towards Massawa and landed on 5 september 2023. Games will soon be transported to Asmara.

Meanwhile, we signed a contract with the local company Segen to refurbish and arrange the green area so that the games, fountains and benches could be properly installed.