Kyle Dion – president of New Line Skateparks in Langley, B.C. – spent most of July building a state-of-the-art play park in Rwanda.
An artists rendering of the completed playground in Rwanda.
The effort was an initiative of the Elevation Project, which is sponsored by Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited. The ministry worked with a Rwanda Youth for Christ team to build the park.
Participant Marissa Ismay summed up the experience on the project’s blog:
“Three weeks ago, a group of individuals … arrived in a country of oppression and poverty. Each person had some knowledge of Rwanda, through movies, books and random statistics. Little did we understand that what would really move us here were the stories of so many who we would meet …
“We have shared broken conversations with school staff and village residents … We have loved and been loved by the children in the camps and neighbouring houses. We have danced and played, laughed and cried with so many beautiful young students.”
The group have published an update video in July to share their progress:
The project also runs camps for kids, sponsors a micro-credit program and helps women with AIDS. elevate-rwanda.com