Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Clayton.
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was living in Bolivia in one of the poorest areas in the poorest country in South America, El Alto. I was there working to help kids, and I noticed that there was no playground for kids. So I decided to build a playground using local materials. When I completed the playground, hundreds of kids showed up to play. They had a blast!
I was working with a church, and after the addition of the playground, their children’s attendance tripled. I had a hard time reaching the kids, with language barriers and cultural differences, but the playground cut through it all.
Fast forward several years, and after living in Africa and traveling to several other countries throughout the developing world, I saw that playgrounds were from very rare to nonexistent in these regions.
During this time I found out that playgrounds in the US that are in great condition are frequently demolished due to liability. Working first with the City of Conroe, Project Playground was able to rescue the first playground from going to a landfill. We shipped that playground to the jungle of Bolivia and rebuilt it. Hundreds of kids showed up, and we realized we wanted to do that again.
Since then, Project Playground has built 99 playgrounds.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working in the developing world is never a smooth road! We’ve dealt with 115 degree desert heat, no water, no food, sleeping in tents, cooking over open fires, corrupt port agents, cartel threats, and boulders the size of cars in the middle of our building zone.
One of our biggest challenges was developing a client base. We are grateful to the City of Conroe for being the first to entrust us with their playgrounds and to The Woodlands for the many playgrounds they’ve donated to children in the developing world and opening the door for many more to join us as partners.
Another challenge was developing processes and systems to take the playgrounds down, repair and rebuild them. There’s no guidebook for this, so we had to learn it all by trial and error, and we definitely didn’t do it all right the first time. We’ve learned that there are certain brands of playgrounds that last much better than others. Our goal is that these playgrounds last at least 10 years wherever we plant them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Project Playground?
Project Playground takes down playgrounds in the US slated for destruction and restores, repairs, and replants them in impoverished communities throughout the developing world. We partner with municipalities, schools, HOAs and corporations to give a second life to dozens of playgrounds every year, saving playgrounds from landfills and providing cost saving benefits to multiple stakeholders.
Project Playground is a 501c3 that is fully funded by private donors.
It’s such an emotional experience to watch kids play on a playground for the first time. I cry almost every time. I am so grateful for the volunteers who make Project Playground’s work possible and honored to be part of impacting the life of each child, donor, and volunteer who partners with us.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up a very outdoorsy, adventurous child. I lived to be outside. I spent my days trumping through bayous, sewers, and building forts in the woods. I loved going on adventures outside. My bike and bb gun were my favorite toys as a kid.
One of my earliest memories as a young kid is of a couple who from Zimbabwe who spent a weekend at our house. It made a profound impact on me, and became the beginning of my desire to live an adventurous life overseas.
Pricing:
- The average commercial playground in America is $100,000
- We are able to land that same playground for $5000 – $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.projectplayground.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectplaygroundintl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPlaygroundIntl
Image Credits
Matt Clayton
