TWENTY-nine children living with HIV/AIDS at the Martha’s House of Safety for Children were on Friday given a play area and toys from the National Child Month Committee (NCMC) as part of celebrations for this year’s child month.

The toys were funded by the Growing Minds Foundation while the play area, a mural and the development of a vegetation garden were paid for by the RBTT bank at a cost of $200,000.

The items were handed over in recognition of the 12th annual National Action Day celebrations.

Several members of children’s organisations such as the 3D projects, which caters to children with disabilities, got their hands dirty in projects geared at developing a comfortable atmosphere for disadvantaged children.

According to Pauline Mullings, chairperson at the NCMC, Friday’s activities were a success as it was the first time that the organisation had received so many sponsors.

“I must say that today was very successful, It is the first time that we have managed to get so many activities done and it could not have been possible without the assistance of the RBTT bank,” Mullings told the Observer yesterday.

“It is also a pleasure to see the increased amount of workers who turned out to help us with the activities and we also got a lot of support from the media,” a passionate Mullings said.

Donna Reynolds, administrator at Martha’s home, gave praises for the donations which she said were well deserved. According to Reynolds, the youngsters, who are between the ages 2-14, were in need of a place for recreation as play was an integral part of coping with their illness.

Also among the persons who gave thanks to the NCMC were staff members of RBTT, Representatives from Grace Kennedy Limited and children’s advocate, Mary Clarke.

Clarke in an address to the audience emphasised this year’s Child Month theme of investing in the nation’s children.

“We need to allocate investment for our children. We need the private sector, ministries and agencies to see how we can allocate funds for our children and when we do, we need to make sure that we get the value for every dollar spent,” Clarke said.