LEGO Donations to Kindergartens in Moldova

We just spent a fabulous day at LEGOLAND Florida --and we have been having fun playing with Peggy's LEGO "Friends."  It is wonderful to read about the LEGO donations to kindergartens in Moldova!

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Lego Donations to Kindergartens in Moldova

More and more kindergartens in Moldova are provided with cognitive toys for child development

Bulboaca, Anenii-Noi, 27 December 2012 - Children from kindergarten No.1 and No.2 in the village of Bulboaca, Anenii Noi district, received a set of LEGO and DUPLO toys as part of a public-private partnership project between UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation, with support of Danish Embassy in Moldova and the Ministry of Education.

In total, more than 57, 000 children from 517 kindergartens and community centers in the country, including those for children with special educational needs, will receive such toys valuing 1,5 million dollars. The Ministry of Education will distribute the toys to preschools from the most vulnerable localities.

Kindergartens in Moldova, especially in poor rural communities, do not have books and toys to develop children's creativity. A UNICEF study shows that every fourth child grows up without having toys and books. LEGO and DUPLO toys are recognized internationally for their quality to stimulate the intellectual and social development of children. The donation will fill this gap.

"Both learning and play are very important and it’s a right of every child. We are pleased to see that more and more children in Moldova have the chance to go to kindergarten and to enjoy better conditions for education. Toys we donated today will allow children to have fun and learn at the same time," said during the donation ceremony Alexandra Yuster, UNICEF Representative in Moldova.

The Minister of Education Maia Sandu said in her welcoming speech that LEGO toys help children become creative, inventive and teaches them to work together. "I'm sure that children from this kindergarten will be delighted by this gift. I want to thank our colleagues from UNICEF and the Embassy of Denmark and Lego Foundation for this gift, "said Mrs. Sandu.

This is the second tranche of a larger project aiming to provide cognitive toys to preschool institutions in Moldova. Last year other 400 kindergartens have also received toys that have benefited around 27,000 children.

In Moldova there are 1440 kindergartens. 22% of children aged 3-6 years are not enrolled in preschool education.