Introduction:
Our partners from Thrive Missions spent weeks in Guatemala putting together a dreamy interactive play space for hospitalized children at St. Luke’s; we introduce to you the Thrive Missions Playroom! 🤩
Worth the Wait:
This incredible team has been planning this space for more than FOUR YEARS, and we could not be more thankful for all the time, effort, prayer, blood, sweat (and yes, probably some tears) that went into creating this interactive play space for our kiddos and caretakers at St. Luke’s Nutritional Recovery Center on our campus in Zacapa.
A Space to Play:
Finally, children who are awaiting surgeries, recovering from malnutrition, or receiving treatment for other illnesses, can have a space to be KIDS! Moreover, many of our patients remain in-residence for weeks and even months while receiving treatment for malnutrition and other ailments. Therefore, having a space where they can come play, make friends, and engage their little minds, hands, and feet is a HUGE blessing.
Interactive Play as Stress Relief and Intelligence Booster:
In addition to boosting a child’s health and development, play helps to build the safe, stable and nurturing relationships that buffer against toxic stress and build social-emotional resilience. Furthermore, the mutual joy and one-on-one interaction that happens during play can manage the body’s stress response. Additionally, physical fun, such as free play, helps develop children’s motor skills and builds emotional intelligence.
It All Starts Here:
Many years of hard work, planning, and prayer brought this dream to reality – and it all started from a short-term volunteer trip to Guatemala four years ago! 🧳 You never know how one trip may start a chain reaction that impacts lives forever. Help us Transform Guatemala by planning your trip today!