Tuesday, February 10, 2009

go fly a kite



The other day Steven heard a story on the radio about a wonderful organization, Kitegang.  They "seek to lift the spirits of children having few possessions or possibilities through the simple joy and curiosity brought by the sharing and flying of colorful kites."
Based in Minnesota, this non profit toy company manufactures kites and other toys in refugee camps, rural towns, and urban slums often using recycled materials.  They don't just create toys, but also create jobs in these impoverished communities and use their profits to distribute kites to orphanages and schools that request them.  
more info and really great photos here.

3 comments:

Steven said...

They are also trying to design kites and other toys made using plastic bags that litter the landscape, both to clean the land and to make kite fabric.

Steven said...

When I was a kid, I made kites at my grandma's house out of paper bags (and boredom and flew them over the neighbors' field. (That is before they built the rubber band factory.) There used to be cows on that field and one managed to eat my kite when it fell on the ground Good thing it was made of paper!

Anonymous said...

I think this is really nice, what they are doing. I love the looks on the children's faces running with their kites high up in the air. Priceless.