Habitat Japan is improving living environments through its “Facility Improvement Program,” and one such initiative is the “Playground Project” at the children’s home “Kodomo no Sono” in Chigasaki, Kanagawa. After constructing the campsite with pizza ovens and a stage in the first two phases, the project has entered its final phase, focusing on installing playground equipment such as the “Doki Doki Bridge” and “Log Steps” on the hill behind the home, known as “Forest Terrace.”
On April 11, following the installation of the playground equipment, a total of 20 employee volunteers from Bloomberg, J.P. Morgan, and DuPont Styro participated in a joint volunteer activity. The playground is located on a hill behind the children’s home in a mountainous area, so to prevent weed growth and ensure safe conditions, volunteers laid weed barrier sheets and spread wood chips around the playground area to create a soft and safe surface for children to play on.
Despite the strong sun and high temperatures, volunteers overcame company boundaries and quickly bonded through their shared efforts, maintaining a positive and energetic atmosphere throughout the day. Working in small groups, they carried large and heavy rolls of barrier sheets to the playground area, laid them section by section, and secured them in place. Thanks to their teamwork, the installation of the barrier sheets was completed ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, the woodchips team oversaw bringing the wood chips to the already laid out barrier sheet using wheelbarrows and large sacks. They started by filling the wheelbarrows and large sacks with woodchips from a large nearby pile and then carried them to the already placed barrier sheets. Once the sheets were fully placed around the playground equipment, both teams joined efforts to carry as many wood chips as possible during the volunteer day. By the end of the day the volunteers managed to cover the entire sheet with the first layer of woodchips. The playground area needs to be further covered with all the woodchips to ensure a soft and safe ground for the children and so Habitat Japan will continue to organize volunteer days to finish this until the project is complete.
After the day’s activities, participants gathered at the campsite, developed during the first phase of the “Playground Project”, where they baked pizzas and spent time with the children and facility staff. The scene of children and volunteers smiling, chatting, and enjoying freshly baked pizza together created a warm and memorable atmosphere.
“It was a busy day - from laying down weed tarps and spreading wood chips to baking pizzas - but everything went smoothly, we all worked together, had fun, and successfully got the job done.
The event was organized very well, so in the end it was quite fun. It was also nice when the children approached us and chatted with us so casually while we all ate pizza together”, shared some volunteers.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all volunteers for their valuable contributions.