Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was almost completely washed away by flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. During the recovery period, many residents lived in temporary housing such as in Diamond Park, an interim housing facility that originally held 450 trailers.

To cultivate a protective environment for children living in temporary housing, Save the Children sponsored the Safe and Protective Communities Project. The project’s goals were to help bring residents together, establish spaces where the community members could congregate, and create safer environments for children. Save the Children also worked with the Plaquemines Parish Government, KaBOOM!, and Project Rebuild Plaquemines to construct a new universally accessible playground in Diamond Park.

Using a trailer donated by YMCA, a community center was established, where children can play games in a computer lab, watch movies on a big screen television, and create arts and crafts projects. The facility was also used for programs run by organizations like YMCA, Save the Children, Emergency Communities, and the Boys and Girls Club.

In addition, professional photographers used the center to conduct a photography workshop called the 450 Photo Experience, teaching children to express themselves through photography.

The playground, community center, and photography workshop have been instrumental in helping the children in Plaquemines Parish make sense of their world as they recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.