Today, one of our team is flying out to Nairobi, Kenya, to facilitate the build of a playground at an orphanage by global security firm SEPAR International Group.
Splash Project Leader Symon Austin, 51, from Plymouth, will support SEPAR’s team of 26 volunteers who will be creating play facilities at Nyumbani Children’s Home, home to around 150 abandoned children living with AIDS or HIV.
Over five days, the team will create an adventure tower, a role play hut and a sensory hut for under four-year-olds.
Our design team has come up with the designs for the build, while one of Symon’s first tasks was providing the cutting list for the timber, being sourced locally in the city, required.
We are also providing tools and equipment, and Symon, who is a mastercraft stonemason, bricklayer and trade carpenter, will facilitate the build throughout, providing the team with expert guidance and logistical support.
“While I’ll project manage the build, I’m also there to troubleshoot if unexpected challenges present themselves,” said Symon, who has worked with Splash since 2013 and has facilitated projects in Ethiopia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Finland and throughout the UK, most recently with Santander in Spain.
He added: “Being able to adapt on the ground will be crucial.
“Working in a developing country is always eye opening and makes you more appreciative of what we have back home.
“All Splash Projects are hugely beneficial wherever they are in the world, but they’re even more impactful in developing nations.”
Joanne Smith, Chief Operating Officer & Director at SEPAR, said: “We have an office in Kenya so have volunteered at the orphanage before. It’s such an amazing place, but their play facilities are in a state of disrepair, so we’ve been fundraising for a while to be able to get out there as a team. We can’t wait to get out there and help.”