The new TWH daycare looks bright and spacious, with animated characters on the walls.

In the thick of preparations for their upcoming annual exhibit, the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) graduating class of 2010 took time from their hectic schedules for a good cause: a repainting project at Tahanang Walang Hagdanan.

PSID’s graduation exhibit this year is all about color, as the students of the country’s premiere institution in interior design education showcase “Caleidoscope,” which focuses on the four C’s of design: Color, Character, Cause, and Cost.

Mounted in cooperation with Eastwood City, “Caleidoscope” challenged the batch to create 18 well-executed and thoroughly researched interiors that are cost-effective as well. The exhibit runs from October 3 - 31, 2010, 10AM - 8PM at the Athena Building, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City.

Reaching out

Established in 1973, the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan (TWH) is a non-stock, non-profit, non-government organization that aims to uplift the lives of orthopedically handicapped persons.

Located in Cainta, Rizal, TWH operates a rehabilitation and training skills center with five workshops, six housing units, and two independent living quarters, where people with disabilities are trained to be productive and self-reliant members of society.

TWH, which is run completely from donations, solicitations, fundraising projects, and loans, is also one of the institutions badly hit by Ondoy, leaving a P5M damage in its trail, and rehabilitation efforts were focused on the medical needs of the residents and the repair and replacement of livelihood equipment from the workshops.

Jane Ong, a PSID graduating student and head of Caleidoscope’s promotions and publicity committee, saw an opportunity for their batch to help the TWH.

“The livelihood programs at TWH sustain many disabled families, and the children stay at the daycare center while their parents work,” states Jane. “We saw the opportunity to incorporate our exhibit theme into the TWH daycare.”

In planning the design of the daycare, the PSID students looked into the purpose of the daycare, which was painted a muted green as the rest of the TWH buildings, bare, and uninspiring, and portions of the ceiling were already crumbling.

“We considered that the daycare is an extension of the home for the children, in the absence of their parents and relatives. It’s a place where the children play, learn, socialize among their peers, take their meals, and nap,” Jane notes. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where the kids would feel safe, familiar and at ease, a place they would want to come to even without their parents, and of course, a place conducive to learning.”

A new look

Keeping in mind the impact of colors on psychology and perception, the PSID students worked a lot of yellow and green in the design, using alphabets, animals, and animated characters that would stir the imagination and interest of the children.

“Yellow stimulates the intellect, helps increase concentration and memory, and improves the appetite and pulse rate, while green is associated with regrowth, healing, rejuvenation and progress,” Jane explains.

After replacing dilapidated portions of the ceiling, treating the wooden walls with putty in preparation for painting, and installing a new blackboard, a group of 30 PSID student volunteers trooped to the daycare for a day of painting. Boysen also gave its full support, sponsoring all the paints needed for the project.”

“We used yellow as the background color, so the kids at the daycare would be active, alert, and eager to learn, and we worked the green back into the design because we know that living with a family member with disability comes with difficulties for the children and we wanted to encourage holistic healing.”

After a full day’s work, with the heat of the sun streaming in the room and in cramped positions for those hard-to-reach areas on the uneven walls, the students were tired but fulfilled as the children streamed into the room in excitement, pointing at the friendly animals greeting them from the walls. The teachers and staff were also grateful for the new blackboard and their new teaching environment, which looked brighter and more spacious.

“It was a great feeling, to work hard on something that would benefit a whole community,” Jane concludes. “In our own small way, we were able to share our talents with others in a way that makes a difference in their lives.”