Play Action International enriches disadvantaged children’s lives through play.
They create playful opportunities for learning and development, helping to improve health and well-being, support learning outcomes, and help children who have experienced trauma heal and enhance their future employment opportunities.
Play has the power to truly enrich the lives of those who can access it and the organisation believes this is every child’s right. Play Action International were founded as East African Playgrounds, which remains the name of the Ugandan organisation. Since the charity’s foundation in 2009, they have built over 370+ playgrounds and delivered play-based programmes benefiting more than half a million children – many of which are refugees living in Uganda’s refugee settlements.
Children across the world play, however there are in fact very few places dedicated to play. This was the case in Uganda too, where there were very few playgrounds within community centres and schools. Playgrounds signify the importance of childhood and provide children with the permission they may need to play.
They are the leading provider of custom-built playgrounds and play-based learning programmes in East Africa. Their expertise lies in playground building, as well as innovative and effective play-based interventions. Play Action International are a small, smart, friendly, fun and professional organisation with staff in the UK and Uganda. They have ambitious plans to enrich the lives of many more disadvantaged children through play – by working in 10 countries in the next 10 years.
In 2020, the Randal Charitable Foundation was delighted to be able to provide a grant to build a new playground within the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, which is home to over 270,000 refugees fleeing the region’s ongoing civil war.
In 2021 the Foundation provided further funding to train a local play worker to run play groups in 5 communities, as well as the purchase of 5 Nudel Karts, which can easily be assembled and disassembled to help teach STEM skills.
The charity also works with local community based organisations, secures multi-year bilateral contracts with international non-governmental organisations and supports children at Early Childhood Developmental (ECD) centres across multiple refugee settlements.
For more information on the World Medical Fund visit here