The Power Of Play with Shweta Chari
I am excited to share my discussion with Shweta and her colleague Jonita, who shared their story with me! I would also like to congratulate the Opentree Foundation on celebrating 21 years as an organization. Here are my learnings from the offline discussion. 1. What inspired the founding of Toybank? Toybank is the flagship company of the Opentree foundation whose mission is development through play. When Shweta was 21 years old, she volunteered at a children’s home where she observed how playing with toys lit up the children' s faces and gave them joy and freedom to learn and explore. Through this experience she asked herself, what would happen if the kids grew up without the joy of being able to experience playing? This idea stuck with her and later in life she realized that play isn’t just about fun; it shapes people as they grow into adults. That idea was the initial inspiration for Toybank to form, with a belief that every child deserves the right to play. Personally, ...