It is time to introduce ourselves to you again...
In the last couple of days, a lot of new Tjeko followers have joined us and we would like to introduce ourselves to you.
Tjeko’s story started a few years ago, when founders Ferdi and Tatiana van den Bergh were in Uganda. They were searching for a playground where their daughter, Maëlle, could play. The only place they could go, turned out to be the playground of an orphanage. When Maëlle was playing there, Ferdi and Tatiana saw the children of the village standing on the other side of the fence, looking at their daughter playing and enjoying herself, through the wire. The children of the village also wanted to go in and play at the orphanage’s playground! The thought that you would first have to be an orphan before you had access to a playground like that, was a thought that had a lasting impact on Ferdi and Tatiana.
The realisation that children in Uganda have little to no access to child friendly spaces or playgrounds, motivated Ferdi and Tatiana to do something about it. They founded the Tjeko foundation in 2010. Tjeko wants children in Uganda (and eventually all over the world) to experience that it is good to be a child and to enjoy their childhood.
Tjeko is a Swahili word and it means “laughter, fun and joy”. That’s what Tjeko is all about! We want children to smile again, because we can see from our own children how important it is to have fun, to laugh and experience joy!
As stated in Article 31 of the Convention on the rights of the child, “every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities”
Tjeko wants to let children experience that it is good to be a child and to enjoy it. Every child has a rich imagination, and Tjeko really wants them to do something with this at home. Tjeko offers “edutainment”; entertainment combined with a bit of of education, development and upbringing.
We do this through our four methods:
– Tjeko FunFair
– Tjeko Live Program
– Tjeko Academy
– Tjeko Fun Services
In the coming weeks we will introduce even more Tjeko family members to you!
Have a good week for now and don’t forget to have some Tjeko!
