INTEGRATING SQUARE´S PROJECT - for handicapped children
ROTARY CLUB OF MAR DEL PLATA
CLUB NUMBER : 9615 - DISTRICT 4920 – ARGENTINA
SERVICE PROJECT COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
Mar del Plata is an important resort city, situated (located) by the Atlantic Ocean´s shore of Buenos Aires Province, with more than 700.000 permanent inhabitants in winter and more than 2.300.000 in summer –due to the tourism coming from the rest of the country and abroad, during summer holidays.
This city lacks of a public space -park or square - appointed to handicapped children, like those where people use to go with their children to have outdoors recreation,
In order to give response to the needs of that kind of public spaces, that should be used by both, normal and handicapped children, this project looks upon the possibility of a kind of integrating place by installing playing equipments that facilitates the access and use to people with different capabilities.
The kind of playing equipments this proposal is looking for, are designed to let handicapped people, ride a hammock without leaving the wheel chair or provides a special hammock for children with cerebral paralysis that let them lie on, relaxed and comfortably, supplied with all the safety standards, or a kind of carrousel designed specially for motion diminished people provided with a ramp system an its respective safety standards.
There are also included some kind of games, made with plastic cylinders with low relief where visual diminished people can play different games like Ta Te Ti or communicate with others by signal language with panels showing ideographic signs that may let to audition diminished people communicate between themselves and with non audition diminished people by the use of signals of numbers, letters, animals, colours, feelings, etc. that promotes and delivers the communication.
Another game consist in a big sandy table where normal children can play and wheel chaired children can remain close and also play with other children.
As it is demonstrated the Integrating Square of this proposal, contemplates a high percentage of children with different capabilities, and is its intention to promote the integration with the other kids and to give support, safety and enjoyment to all children in the city.
These new kind of squares, more democraticals and less discriminatives propounds a new way of using public spaces that can be used by “all children with the same rights”.
This project would let children to SHARE as RI president declaims in his inspiring theme: “ROTARY SHARES”.
LOCATION:
Every public park or squares with car and pedestrian accessibility, better if does not have allergenic plants and located within the public urban land are able to contain a place of this characteristics.
This project offers the possibility to be situated in different places, and can be repeated, in order to reach a great number of children from different neighborhoods. The budget is for the construction of one.
FUNDINGS:
MAR DEL PLATA ROTARY CLUB already received funding from abroad that makes possible a first step. The Mar del Plata Rotary Club has the intention of giving u$s 1000 from the DDF and is looking for a Sponsor (club or district) that would have the kindness of providing u$s 4000 to obtain in this way the funds to afford this “Solidary and attractive Project”. In this way, we can start a Matching Grant Project that allows to reach the budget of u$s 10.000, necessary for finishing this project.
Contact person in Mar del Plata Rotary Club: PDG Julio A. Mendez e-mail address : jumendezmdp@ciudad.com.ar
Thank you so much for your understanding and support. | 
