World · Africa · 13 hrs ago
Recycled-plastic chess sets give children in Nairobi’s Kibera access to the game
In Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, community project Kijiji Solutions is making chess sets from recycled plastic.
It has used about 200 kilograms of plastic to produce nearly 2,000 sets, in partnership with The Gift of Chess.
The sets are being used by children at Centre of Hope School, where access to chess equipment and organised training is limited.
The project aims to give children a chance to learn and play chess, a game that depends on strategy, logic and calculation.
Teachers and students say playing helps with focus, problem-solving and schoolwork, but they have no evidence to prove those effects.
Studies have found a modest link between chess and academic performance, but researchers debate whether chess itself causes the improvement.
The project’s founder says the plastic recycled so far has a symbolic value and makes only a limited contribution to reducing plastic waste.
Kijiji Solutions has recycled about 200 kilograms of plastic waste into nearly 2,000 chess sets for children in Kibera, Nairobi.
The project, run with The Gift of Chess, gives children access to chess equipment they might otherwise be unable to afford.
Children at Centre of Hope School use the sets to play and practise chess.
Students and teachers say chess has helped with concentration and schoolwork, but they have no evidence to support those claims.
The project’s founder says the amount of plastic used is more symbolic than impactful in addressing plastic waste.
- Who
- Kijiji Solutions and The Gift of Chess are providing the sets to children in Kibera.
- What
- They made nearly 2,000 chess sets from recycled plastic waste.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Why
- To give children access to chess equipment they might otherwise be unable to afford, while reusing plastic waste.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The total amount of plastic removed, it’s more symbolic than it is impactful in terms of the plastic waste problem
Once they go to that board, it does not matter where you come from
When I started chess, I was not very good, so I always came for training every day. So after some months, I started improving in my academics
It makes them to be attentive, to be active, to focus, to concentrate
Kijiji Solutions collects plastic and other waste in Kibera, then sorts selected materials for processing.
The processed plastic returns as pellets, which Kijiji Solutions uses to make chess sets.
Children at Centre of Hope School play and practise chess with the sets.
- Plastic recycled
- About 200 kilograms
- Chess sets produced
- Nearly 2,000 tournament quality sets
- Project
- Kijiji Solutions, in partnership with The Gift of Chess
- Location
- Kibera, Nairobi
- School using sets
- Centre of Hope School
Sources
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