Not Sold in Stores

31 October 2005

Aussie kids learn from their counterparts in Africa, Asia and Latin America to use their imagination and ingenuity during playtime, as study reveals children’s empowerment in struggle against poverty

ChildFund Australia’s Not Sold in Stores, an exhibition of toys made by children in Africa, Asia and Latin America, is on display at Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, from this Tuesday, 1 November, through until the end of January 2006.

The collection, including an oil tanker made of discarded cans by 14-year-old Amath in Senegal and a helicopter made by 11-year-old Pinto in Angola, demonstrates the resilience of children who use play to express their hopes and dreams, despite their situation, which could be drought, famine, war or simply poverty.

Not Sold in Stores aims to highlight the direct and positive contributions of children in their struggle against poverty. ChildFund International has released a study that provides a unique perspective on poverty and how it affects children through the voices of the children themselves. The study dispels common myths by illustrating children’s acute awareness of how poverty affects them on a daily basis. Study available on request

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre today welcomed Not Sold in Stores as a complementary exhibition to Toys: Science at Play, currently on display at Questacon. Toys celebrates the science behind toys and demonstrates that playing with toys builds physical and mental skills and fosters creativity, critical thinking and cooperation. Not Sold in Stores reinforces these important links between play and learning, as well as demonstrating inventiveness and inspiring it in the children who come to see the exhibition.

ChildFund’s internationally recognised child protection programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America ensure children take an active role in planning and decision-making about issues affecting their lives, and ‘playtime’ is a major part of this process; children’s interests are paramount in the design of ChildFund programs.

For the past 20 years ChildFund Australia has partnered with communities in developing countries to create lasting and meaningful change and promote children’s rights under the banner CCF Australia.

Not Sold in Stores was born when ChildFund International President John Schultz travelled to Africa during the drought and famine of 2000. While in Kenya, Dr Schultz met a little boy called Thomas who was playing with a sailboat at Lake Turkana. Thomas had made the boat from an old thong, a plastic bag, a stick and string – items that could have been be mistaken for rubbish.

Dr Schultz complimented Thomas on his creation, and Thomas generously offered Dr Schultz the boat. The gift demonstrates the resourcefulness and ingenuity of all children – a quality that exists across geographic and cultural boundaries.