Egyptian MP Demands Free Playgrounds for Children in Every District

In some news concerning the little ones today, Egyptian parliamentarian Anissa Hassouna has requested parliament to create free playgrounds for children to play at in every district, according to Egypt Independent.

“I want children to be happy. I have made a request to parliament to task district heads to create children playgrounds in every district with basic, free plastic toys,” she said.

Hassouna brought up the issue on television program “90 Dakeeka” (90 Minutes) on Tuesday, claiming that people are afraid their children will destroy their gardens, while forgetting that it is a child’s basic right to play.

“The problem is, I know about a playground where someone had donated to beautify it, so people closed it in fear of it being vandalized. No, children who are not members of a club or a youth center have the right to play and go out with their parents, all free of charge.”

“This will greatly affect the psychology of so many children. We have to put the heads of districts accountable to carry this out and I am sure many people will come forward to donate. And these gardens must remain free of charge,” she explained.

“This will greatly affect the psychology of so many children. We have to put the heads of districts accountable to carry this out and I am sure many people will come forward to donate. And these gardens must remain free of charge,” she added.

To make this happen, Hassouna said she plans to cooperate with different governmental arms. “I will be talking to the Minister of Local Development and the Governor of Cairo to try and coordinate on building the largest number of playgrounds in the most efficient manner, for the benefit of the children.”

“I am also making this a public announcement for whoever can help: whoever has a place we can use or material they can give to build these playgrounds, don’t hesitate to help. We have to open up our gardens to the public, and start carrying out this project'' added Hassouna. 

The determined parliamentarian certainly has a point, as Egypt clearly lacks beautiful public gardens that children can just hang out and play at. There are very few options, so little you can count them on one hand, one of which is al-Azhar Park, and it’s usually overcrowded due to lack of other options, the Fish garden which has now become a place for couples and therefore gained a rep that it’s not suitable for children, the Japanese Garden, the Fustat Garden and the al-Orman Garden.

These gardens do have the space for children to play, but they don’t come equipped with toys, which usually leads to children playing in the streets, with street football being a very popular activity in Egypt. Unfortunately, playing in the street isn’t always safe and can lead to accidents.

Main image from Middle East Eye