This publication likes to regularly interview philanthropic organisations about the work they do to "put a dent in the universe." In this article we write about Right To Play, with which we are also proud to call a partner.

Playfulness as a way of learning has become more understood over the decades as older, more regimented methods have been questioned. But in certain countries, that is not the case. 

Play, understood in its fullest sense, has the power not only to help cognitive development, but also gives children the opportunity to build resilience. With kids growing up in poorer countries, having the freedom to play is essential. 

A charity called Right To Play – with which this news service is delighted to partner – is a global organisation tranforming lives of millions of children in some of the most difficult places on earth. It was founded in 2000. The organisation works in 14 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

“Play is a transformative force in a child’s life and, as pioneers in a unique approach to learning, we are providing children with the critical life skills and confidence to overcome challenges, fulfil their potential and create a better future for themselves and their communities,” Gillian McMahon, executive director, told this publication. 

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Gillian McMahon

“We are the global experts in using the power of play to transform children’s lives, and the partner of choice for governments and key education stakeholders across the world. Right To Play’s programmes focus on different forms of play, including sport, games, creative play (such as art, drama, music, dance, role-playing and performance) and free play,” she said.

Globally, more than 244 million children are out of school, and learning poverty has worsened dramatically in low- and middle- income countries following the Covid-19 pandemic. Gender inequality is also a major problem: Girls often face barriers in society (such as early marriage and child labour) that prevent them attending school and receiving the same quality of education as boys. Other forces, such as war and climate change, drive children to poverty and marginalisation. More than 41 million children around the world have been forced to flee their homes.

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Training the teachers
This news service asked McMahon about the specific work the organisation does.

“Children need positive and engaging educational environments in order to learn. We train teachers how to use play-based approaches in the classroom to create engaging learning environments that foster positive learning and development outcomes. We strengthen education systems and curricula to support children’s wellbeing, learning and development for generations to come,” she replied.

“Sustainable change in children’s lives begins by ensuring that they are protected and safe from harm. In many places where we work, children’s futures are threatened by child marriage, child labour, violence, forced participation in conflicts and harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation. We prevent and respond to these situations by strengthening systems that create positive and safe environments where children can learn and thrive and providing play-based psychosocial support to children in crisis and conflict situations,” McMahon said. 

“For instance, in Mali, we protect children against child labour, early marriage, and other serious issues. Our project reached 85,000 children and 1,400 teachers and coaches in over 200 villages. Seventy per cent of children felt safe in their communities at the end of the project, compared to 39 per cent at the start.

“And in Pakistan, following our work in the country, the proportion of children reporting experiencing physical punishment at home dropped from 62 per cent to 28 per cent among boys and from 38 per cent to 11 per cent among girls between the beginning and end of our project,” she said. 

Origins
How did RTP start?

“In 1994, Norwegian speed skater Johann Olav Koss led a humanitarian trip to Eritrea in East Africa. There, he came face-to-face with the realities of life in a country emerging from decades of war – and the power of play. Amid burned-out tanks, children played together, kicking a shirt ball back and forth. A boy showed Johann how he could roll up his shirt and tie the sleeves to make a ball for him and his friends to play with. In that moment, Johann had an important realisation: even amid so much devastation and deprivation, the boy’s desire to play had unlocked his creativity and determination. The children’s incredible resilience in the face of hopelessness inspired Koss to establish Right To Play,” McMahon said. 

“Nearly 25 years on since the charity was established, Right To Play has reached millions of children around the world, including more than 2.7 million children in 2022 alone. We create positive and safe environments where children can learn and succeed and use play in all its forms to provide rich and engaged learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. As a universal symbol of play, the `Shirtball’, featured in our logo, commemorates our founding and honours the resilience and ingenuity of children,” she said.

RTP works in the following countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. It also supports indigenous communities across Canada, using play-based programmes to empower First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth to build life skills.

Programmes are supported by RTP’s headquarters in London and Toronto, and its seven national offices across Europe and North America (in Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, UK and the US). 

On the ground
RTP works with partners including the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, corporate partners, foundations (for example, Liverpool Football Club Foundation), NGOs and other funders. 

“On the ground, we partner with local organisations, educational institutions, civil society organisations, and governments to achieve impact and scale. Forming strong local partnerships is necessary to ensure programmes are relevant and appropriate, and that the impact children experience is sustainable over time,” McMahon said. 

Evidence points to results.

As an example, in Ghana, students in Right To Play-supported schools have showed stronger overall reading fluency, reading an average of 17 more words per minute than students in unsupported schools, McMahon said. In Ghana, Mozambique and Rwanda, 81 per cent of teachers in Right To Play partner schools are using play-based, gender-responsive techniques in class – up from 13 per cent at the start of our project. Students in supported schools were 1.5 times more likely to view their learning environment as positive than with children in non-partner schools.

“For all our programmes, we assess impact by measuring outcome indicators at three points during programme implementation (baseline, midline, and endline). Each evaluation is conducted by a third-party consultancy team, who help collect data to assess the outcomes and long-term impact of our programmes. These recommendations help us to make adjustments to projects, where needed, throughout implementation to maximise the impact for the children and communities we are seeking to support,” she said. 

McMahon concludes with the following message for this publication: “In recent years, various economic and political shocks – from the global pandemic to the current cost-of-living crisis – have had a destabilising effect on the world and it is the most vulnerable societies that have borne the brunt – with children, sadly, often paying the greatest price. As a result, more children have missed out on education and the learning gap has widened, poverty and inequality have grown, and millions of children who have been threatened by conflict and forced to leave their lives. 

“We’re so grateful for ClearView Financial Media’s ongoing support, which is helping us to reach the children who urgently need our help in the face of these extreme challenges.

“We need your support to continue reaching children around the world who need our help more than ever. You can find out more about our work, and how you can show your support, by visiting www.righttoplay.org.uk