“All the children here know each other because we are from the same neighbourhood, but we became better friends as we play together daily at the playground,” shared Mahdi.
One year after the playgrounds’ establishment, the UNDP-Shell Partnership conducted an assessment and found them in great need for maintenance and repairs. The Partnership carried out major rehabilitation through local contractors, and added caravans to ensure the presence of security guards from the communities of both sub-districts. To ensure their sustainability, the completed playgrounds were officially handed over to the municipalities that will be able to include them in their future maintenance plans and budgets, to maintain these safe outlets for children and the local community.
Along with other activities like school renovations, and interventions on road safety for children, the construction of the playgrounds was within the larger umbrella of the UNDP-Shell Partnership for Local Development.
The UNDP-Shell Partnership in Basra was launched in 2012 to build participatory planning and local area development capacity, and implement respective activities in communities near the Majnoon Oil Field in the Governorate of Basra, South of Iraq. The Partnership also aims to enable high quality vocational training and support the micro, small, and medium enterprise environment.
(Source: UNDP in Iraq)
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