Each year, approximately 100 million tires are thrown away in India. Anthill Creations, a non-profit run by Pooja Rai, began to repurpose them into playgrounds for children. There are currently 238 of these play spaces in India, with the vast majority of them featuring tire sculptures of animals or cars, in addition to more traditional playground elements such as swings and seesaws. 

Even with this untraditional medium, Anthill Creations ensures the safety of these jungle gyms as they closely inspect the tires for anything that may cause harm to the kids. This is in addition to a thorough cleaning of the tires, as safety is one of their top priorities.

In a statement to Christian Science Monitor, Rai said, “We live in a world where play, such an essential part of growing up, is now viewed as a luxury and even thought of as unnecessary. We often forget how vulnerable these growing years can be. The right to play should be considered critical to a child’s cognitive growth, physical, and emotional well-being—we believe that it is indeed a basic human right.”

This charitable foundation is volunteer-run and seeks to give back to the community. These jungle gyms are built-in common places like schools and public parks, in addition to refugee camps. The place spaces are often themed to the area and tend to encourage inclusivity with their unique designs such as a special place for blind children. So far, these innovative designs have impacted 153,093 children. Volunteer Vikas Keshri says, “It has been a really gratifying and joyful experience to be part of Anthill Creations and to bring smiles and play to thousands of kids.”