In 2014, Cura Mission joined hands with Kids Around the World, Inc (KATW), a Rockford, Illinois-based Christian organization that “believes children are the greatest natural resource a country can have.” With a common vision to serve the underserved, Cura Mission and KATW embarked on the long journey from concept to their first playground completion in North Korea (NK) in April 2014.

Along the way, a site had to be identified and approved and all funds raised to cover the costs of the ~$15,000-$25,000 recycled playground plus the ~$13,000 to ship it across the Pacific. Even the tools needed to install the structure had to be specified and purchased before installation could be- gin. An orphanage in Hwangju, a mostly agricultural region just southeast of Sariwon, was chosen for the pilot project.

On April 2, 2014, a small team of volunteers from the U.S. arrived at Hwangju Orphans’ Secondary School to be joined by about 20 school teachers turned builders. Together the men began digging the holes upon which the foundation of the structure would be anchored. For six hours straight, the Americans worked alongside these blank-faced DPRK math, physics, art, and history teachers. As the build continued into the following day, steely determination gave way to grins as the group slowly began to learn more about each other. By the end of the second day, concrete was ready to be poured into the holes.

Approached by Korea Education Fund (KEF), a DPRK nonprofit, to partner in this endeavor, Cura has successfully completed one school rebuild in Sinchon. CM is currently working on 4 other sites with the groundwork to begin on the next school in the late spring.

This joint partnership between Cura and KEF clearly demonstrates how crucial it is to preserve the relationships built over time by CM’s president and staff with DPRK entities, when our purposes align: to care compassionately for the orphans and children.

In April 2014, Chris Marshall accompanied the President of Cura Mission (CM) to help build an inaugural playground for the oprhans in Hwangju Province in North Korea (NK). His passion for play and the power of imagination helped inspire the partnership that led to a total of 16 successful playground installations in NK since 2014.

Why are playgrounds so effective? Chris states, “Around the world playgrounds are a symbol of hope. They’re a symbol of fun… A playground is a gift to a child where they know that that gift is only for them. It’s not for the adults. And it shows a genuine love and care and concern for the child that speaks volumes to that child, especially a child with no mother, no father, an orphan. It speaks a lot to them for them to have a gift that’s not for an adult. For them to have a gift where someone shows extreme love to them is a big deal and for them to have fun. For them to be a kid is critical for their development. You’re only a kid once. So I think that’s why the playgrounds are so effective.”