Programmes
Our passion is to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children by providing them with the opportunities to learn and develop through play. Our programmes are underpinned by Article 31 of the UN Convention of the Right of a Child:
“Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”
And Goal 4 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Quality Education:
“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
We are proud to deliver a broad spectrum of programmes that meet the diverse needs of children across the world, which are all unified by a child’s innate need and human right to play.
A Safe Space to Play
Community Playgrounds
Play Action International was born out the child’s need and human right to have a safe place to play. From the outset our mission was to work closely with communities to install playgrounds that would enhance the lives of children, their families and become a hub of many community programmes – especially those centred around children and their families.
The Play Bus
The Play Bus is a mobile play-based educational resource, enabling us to bring our range of programmes to children in disadvantaged urban areas, where there are no safe spaces to play. In particular, the Play Bus offers children living in slum communities an interactive opportunity to escape the dangers of their environment and experience a safe space to play, learn and develop.
Play in Schools & at Home
Educational Play
Our Educational Play programmes build the capacity of caregivers and teachers to implement play-based approaches in their teaching. This includes how to use easy-to-find materials and the natural environment as well as the playground to help children learn in a more interactive way. When a child engages with play, their learning is deep-seated and more exploratory, meaning that they will retain the knowledge for longer and have a better understanding of the concept being taught. Our Educational Play programmes are proven to have a positive impact on learning, behaviour and school attendance.
Play Kits
How well children are nurtured during their first 1,000 days has a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive. Our home infant Play Kits are an invaluable way to support vulnerable parents to bond with their children in their early years as well as to promote the right of a child to play and learn.
We also provide our Play Kits to Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres and Primary Schools to enable teachers and caregivers to encourage play-based activities through which child development and learning outcomes are enhanced.
Play & Trauma
The Play Box
The unique element of the Play Box is that it offers all the necessary resources to set up a safe place for children to play and process their experiences during humanitarian, conflict or disaster situations. The Play Box can be set up at refugee registration centres or in the grounds of a hospital after an earthquake. Creating a child-friendly environment at a time of great stress and trauma, is vital to aid the recovery and stress within the moment.
Play for Life
Apprenticeships
Working in partnership with SALVE International, we provide former street-connected children with the life-changing opportunity to undertake our intensive apprenticeship scheme in our workshop in Jinja, Uganda. Our young apprentices learn welding, prefabrication, and playground installation, as well as other practical, transferable skills including entrepreneurship – setting them up for a financially sustainable life.
Toy Cooperative
Our Toy Cooperative enables disadvantaged women to learn how to make educational materials and toys which are sold through a cooperative to NGOs and educational settings. By also offering these women a 6 month intensive Street Business School programme, they can learn the vital skills needed to set up their own sustainable business producing and selling other products and services.
