10-Year-Old Ayana Razack is Making Parks Safer, One Review at a Time

Photo Credit: WO Project via Instagram

You’re never too young to make a difference. At just 10 years old, Ayana Razack is using her voice to advocate for children’s right to safe spaces and play.

Cape Town, South Africa (25 August 2025) – At just 10 years old, Ayana Razack is already an activist and a changemaker for good.

She is the proud founder of the WO Project, an organisation primarily dedicated to raising awareness about Gender Based Violence and has taken on several other projects aimed at driving positive change in local communities.

Ayana’s latest campaign, called ‘Rate the Park’, was brought to life when Movement for Care approached her to join its #RighttoPlay campaign. It addresses her concerns about unsafe public spaces and parks littered with broken glass, used needles, and trash.

“Safe spaces and parks are important for children because they protect a child’s right to simply play. Parks are where kids run, play, climb, boost their confidence and where they can be free,” Ayana explains.

“For many children, a local park might be the only place where they can feel safe and play. When parks are unsafe, neglected or missing altogether, kids lose much more than just play equipment. They lose freedom, joy and belonging.”

According to the advocate for play, broken glass, concrete, and rubbish are not just mere objects; they’re signs of deeper inequality, which speaks to whose childhood gets protected and whose doesn’t.

Through her partnership with Movement for Care, she’s actively exploring the importance of safe public spaces.

Since the beginning of the recent school holidays, Ayana has been visiting various parks in Cape Town, including Khayelitsha’s Greenpoint Park and Baba Park in Mfuleni.

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She shares her findings through honest, kid-led reviews. By talking to other children, she encourages them to rate the parks based on criteria such as age appropriateness, soft surfaces, access to water, toilet facilities, seating, shade, cleanliness, and maintenance.

Movement for Care through the #RighttoPlay campaign will use her findings to conduct city-wide social audits with community members to assess the condition, safety and accessibility of these spaces.

Ayana is using her voice to hold decision-makers accountable for safe, clean, joyful spaces for all children – because every child, regardless of where they’re from, has the right to play safely.