Muhammed's Gifts for the Children of Umer Ali Village

In the small village of Umer Ali in Habro district in West Harerge zone of the Oromia region a new satellite Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre had opened its doors to give access for children to play and learn in the middle of their village. The community built the centre in collaboration with World Vision and they were excited to provide young children with a nurturing place to learn and explore. However, the centre lacks outdoor play equipment to complement the indoor learning materials.

Muhammed, 40, a father of two lives in Umer Ali village. Both a farmer and skilled carpenter, Muhammed had always been passionate about creating a safe and engaging playground for the children of his village. When the new ECD centre opened its doors, Muhammed saw an opportunity to bring joy and excitement to the young learners. He decided to design and build an outdoor playground for the centre without any payment.

As a father, Muhammed had a personal connection to the project. His 5-year-old son, Amaro, is attending the ECD centre, and his daughter, who has already attended the ECD centre, is now in grade one. He aspired to see all the children in his village including his child had the best possible experience. "I wanted to ensure that my children, and all the children in our village, had a safe and engaging place to play and learn," said Muhammed. "I poured my heart into creating this playground, and it brings me so much joy to see the kids enjoying it every day."

Muhammed worked tirelessly crafting a magnificent slide, a merry-go-round, and balance. He constructed all the playing materials from the local materials found in the village. He also fixes those playing materials while broken and damaged. His handiwork became an integral part of the early childhood centre.

The slide and merry-go-round became beloved fixtures of the early childhood centre. The young students spent hours outdoors, their laughter and yell of excitement filling the air.

Muhammed was delighted to see the fruits of his labour in the joy of the children as they played in turns sliding down the slide and spinning on the merry-go-round.

Daily more than a hundred children gather at the ECD centre to learn and play with their friends. "Riding on the merry-go-round and sliding down the slide are my favourite things to do at my early childhood development centre! It's so much fun to play with my friends and have a great time outside.” Firomi, a five-year-old girl says. “I always feel happy and excited when I go to the ECD centre.”

The reaction from the early childhood centre was one of pure joy. The children couldn't get enough of Muhammed’s creations, spending hours each day playing on the slide and merry-go-round. And Muhammed's son was always among them; he giggled and smiled a testament to the magic of his father's gifts.

He took pride in knowing that his work was making a difference, providing the village's children with safe playthings they needed to grow and thrive.

By Samuel Zerihun, Communications Coordinator, World Vision Ethiopia