Drawing inspiration from the concept of Gross National Happiness, a Bhutanese man has found a way of spreading joy and happiness through toys. Through the initiative “Toys for Joy”, Tshering Namgay collects used toys from urban areas and distribute them to rural communities. His goal is to reduce plastic wastes and spread joy among the children.
Around 20 boxes of new and used toys were sent to Dagana, Trashigang and Zhemgang yesterday. The toys will be sent to the Early Childhood Care and Development centres (ECCD). The initial plan of collecting used toys going from door to door could not come together due to the pandemic. So donors and some business firms donate toys in a temporarily set up office for now.
“This initiative will help solve the problem of wastes in urban areas. This will also give immense happiness to the children in rural areas. That is why I have started this project. We launched the initiative at Ketogkha in Chhukha last month. When I saw the smiles and joy in the children through the initiative, that is when I thought about spreading the happiness further,” said Tshering Namgay, the founder of the initiative.
He added the ECCD facilitators are informed about using the toys to the fullest.
“We are advocating and informing them to make the best use of the toys through ECCD facilitators. Since the toys are made of plastics, we are also informing them about the impact of wastes,” he added.
Tshering said the happiness he gets from seeing little faces glow up is beyond any human comprehension.
With over 20 boxes of toys already donated to five ECCD centres, another 20 boxes will be sent next week.
Tshering Dendup
