2021 saw Play Action International raise £236,576, including £106,152 of match funding from the UK government for our UK Aid Match appeal ‘Play for Brighter Futures’. The appeal was launched to respond to the growing need for refugee children in Uganda to have greater access to health, wellbeing and education through our transformative play programmes.
Since March 2022, we are thrilled to report on the latest successes of the project which will bring lasting change for the children and communities who have benefitted from the project outcomes.
Thanks to generous donations from our supporters, we have now:
- installed 5 exciting playgrounds built for child refugees at ECDs (Early Education Centres) in Bidibidi, Uganda, which have provided 2,173 children with safe place to play.
- adapted our play programmes to meet the needs of children. This included using the amazing Nüdel Karts for community-based play so more children could access the power of play.
- facilitated training for 216 caregivers and educators, so they can better support child refugees, increasing understanding amongst adults about the importance of play for disadvantaged children.
- run lose play sessions run in 5 communities, providing greater access to play. Each community has had 4 sessions per week, totalling 20 session per week.
- Nearly 15,000 children have received community-based play sessions in the last few months. These hugely beneficial sessions can help refugee children who are recovering from trauma in Uganda to heal, learn and develop
- 793 caregivers and educators have learned about the benefits of play for disadvantaged children. The train the trainer model then allows more adults to know how to integrate play into their work with children.
We want to say a massive thank you to all those who have supported this important appeal, helping disadvantaged children benefit from the healing power of play for years to come.
