On Thursday morning 20th of February the injury prevention unit ChildSafe, which is based at Red Cross War Memorial Hospital, in partnership with Woolworths launched a play area for children that attend the hospital. This was put in place to provide children with a safe environment where they can play freely on the hospital grounds. This unveiling event was covered by RX Radio Reporter Amirah who had the opportunity to interview some of those attending the event.

Amirah spoke Yolande Baker, the executive director of ChildSafe, a non-government organisation that specialises in injury prevention methods and creating an environment that allows children to explore and exercise in a safe manner. Yolande said that it is important for children to have a safe place to play because children genially enjoy playing, it helps them mentally and physically, and at the same time they have fun. However, she also mentioned that “children need to be supervised when they play”, just to ensure that there are no potential injuries that could take place. Despite being impressed with the amount of play areas provided for children in Cape Town, Yolande pointed out that we still need more. Creating a safe space where children feel most comfortable is a powerful gift on its own.