A hospital may be a place of treatment, but for a child, it should never have to stop being a place for play, imagination and joy.
That belief is at the heart of a new initiative at the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC), where the Pediatric Nursing Department has been transformed into a brighter, more playful and welcoming space for children and their families.
Initiated and coordinated by Ronald McDonald House Curaçao, and made possible through the generous support of Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP) and Curaçao Airport Holding (CAH), the project brings together colorful murals, interactive play elements and Curaçao’s very first Infuuts, creating an environment where children can continue to be children, even while receiving medical care.
For a child, being in a hospital can feel unfamiliar and frightening. The new Pedro’s Airport Adventure mural transforms the department into a world of discovery, with I-Spy challenges, riddles, trivia and fun aviation facts inviting children to explore and play.
The “Infuuts” adds another kind of freedom. This special children’s tricycle allows young patients receiving IV treatment to move around while safely taking their infusion equipment with them. What may seem like a simple bike can give a child something incredibly important during a hospital stay: the freedom to move, play and feel a little more like themselves.
Together, these additions create moments of joy, comfort and normalcy in a place where children may otherwise feel limited by their circumstances.
For Ronald McDonald House Curaçao, it is about more than creating a beautiful space. It is about helping children remain children, giving them room to laugh, imagine, play and find moments of happiness alongside their medical care.
This project is also a beautiful example of what can happen when a community comes together. The generous support of CAP and CAH, together with the creativity and dedication of the artists, coordinators and everyone involved, helped bring this vision to life.
Because even when a child has to spend time in a hospital, they should still have the chance to play, explore, laugh and imagine.
They should still be kids.
