June 2017

Playa Del Carmen, Mxico

Save the Children Mexico - Ludoteca Painting Project

Objectives

To improve the learning environment for children at Ludoteca.

To paint the walls with white, purple and hand prints to provide a colourful learning
environment with a sense of belonging.

Figure 1. Design for Ludoteca walls

GVI Mexico is committed to making a difference and improving the education of children through
multi ways. During June 2017 a team of enthusiastic GVI Mexico volunteers and staff scrubbed walls,
picked up paint brushes and painted the peeling walls of the Ludoteca project. We supported Save
the Children Mexico to improve the learning environment of the classrooms to ensure that students
and staff felt a sense of belonging. We used handprints of everyone involved to adorn the walls which
became symbols of the learning community.

Students were fascinated with the entire process and loved joining in on the fun of painting and we
all ended up sweaty, paint splattered and yet more cohesive as a group that are all striving to make a
difference in each and every way possible.

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GVI staff and volunteers bonded with Save the Children Ludoteca children and staff, chatting away
(in Spanish and English) as we turned the moldy, peeling and dirty whitish walls into pristine white,
purple strip and handprint designer walls.

Figure 2. Preparing paint Save the Children Mexico Project

On the first day of the painting project, we scrubbed the walls clean and peeled away old, moldy and
flaking paint. We had the help of the students that were present in the morning session and the
assistance of the Save the Children staff. It was hot work even with all fans circulating. Though it was
fun to know that the finished walls would brighten the learning environment for children and staff.

On successive days, different groups of GVI staff and volunteers were rostered onto the painting
project. Initially it looked as though it was going to be easy, however we discovered due to the peeling
paint and quality of paint purchased that multi coats of paint would need to be applied to the walls to
provide an adequate result. Hence it was decided to purchase a better quality paint to complete the
painting project.

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Figure 3. Happy team of GVI volunteers.

GVI staff and volunteers left the walls and the people of Ludoteca Save the Children Mexico project
brighter. Perhaps with a few paint splashes on clothing, though thats all part of the fun, right?

For more information on the projects here in Mexico, visit:

http://www.gvi.co.uk/location/yucatan/

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