The Easter weekend seems a while ago due to the hustle and bustle of the day, but here at Tjeko we are reminiscing about a great weekend! We were allowed to show 2400 children the power of play, tell about it and above all experience it! And what a party it was! Below you can read some testimonials from our staff, we hope they encourage you as much as they did and still do for us! Hooray for play, family and fun!
Hello, I am Maron. I followed the Tjeko Academy in 2019 and volunteer with Tjeko since. This story is about experiencing fun at Hope Again Church Ministry. Mukembo Grace is the VIP in the middle. He is 14 years old, studying P.4 from Musima Primary School. Grace had neither seen nor played on a bouncing castle, because he had no opportunity to access it. He could just hear from friends who got a chance to play from it, but today, he got an opportunity to play with many different play equipments from Tjeko. He felt good and very happy to tell even his friends about this experience he got from the Easter Festival with Tjeko. On his left you see Mayanja Abu. He is a social worker at the orphanage. He works with Hope Again Church Ministry and heard about Tjeko since it visited their organization last year for the Tjeko Live Creativity Series. I thank God that I was also part of the team which taught a important lesson “Together we are stronger!”.
That’s where their organization got connected with Tjeko to give us some business. Abu believes that every child should have a right to play and that play helps every child to be with a positive attitude towards him or her self. – Maron (Tjeko Academy Student and volunteer since 2019)
This is Prossy from Mukono. We met her at Summer Gardens Hotel during the family festival. She came earlier so that her kids can have enough time to play as usual at that same place. Surprisingly this time she saw things she had never seen before, like the trampoline, skelters and a water slide. She had to experience the new games her self no matter the number of kids available or her size as an adult, hehe. She added and said she had never seen anywhere in Uganda such clean equipment. She loved the way Peace and Phiona were MC’ing. And the happy faces that the staff of Tjeko were tirelessly showing the kids, the care.. Helping out and not leaving things for those who hired Tjeko. She almost could not handle the theater games.
She really enjoyed those! She appreciates our services late in the evening. “How can I join that fun seriously? Said Prossy. – (Peace, Tjeko Staff since 2011)
This is Fazeal from Summer Garden Hotel. He works as a DJ. After Fazeal seeing our presentation he said it was breathtaking. He decided to look for me (Phiona) to give his testimony or even inquire more about us. I gave him time and listened to him. He was so curious, he wanted to know almost everything. The magic we use, the motivation and energy that causes all the children and parents to be happy, laugh and even play with there children. Which we said was impossible with city parents. He was empressed with our services. He assured me to be seconding us in all their planning activities for children events. He agreed with me taking a video or even use it on our social media page. – (Phiona, Tjeko Staff since 2011)
Meet Nasibu and his brother Katuba.
I observed these two boys for like 30 mins. They where seated with their mother the whole time and I was wondering why? They where normal children, who have to be playing. If not at least dancing, because music was playing the whole time, cheering everyone. But these two kids where not reacting to anything. I decided to slowly ask them why they are not playing? They didn’t respond. It seemed as if they were scared. Than there mother told me that they are scared of children. They live in a fenced house so they don’t come out. They only move out on big days just like Easter day. They even don’t have friends. I went a head and told them why it’s important to play. I told them that through play you can get friends, understand people’s behavior, feel happy and have fun. I told them to join me to play, which they did. With the support of other parents in the tent, they told us to go to the bouncing castle.
Together we moved and entered the bouncing castle. Slowly they started reacting on play, got looser and had fun!
They even tried out more equipment’s like the trampoline. – (Phiona, Tjeko Staff since 2011)
