20 Jun 2022

 Learn To Play, a not-for-profit-making organisation recently handed over to Kavimba community an Early Childhood Development Centre as part of its efforts to provide early childhood education to vulnerable communities in Botswana. 

Learn To Play Founder, and chief energy officer Ms Priyanka Ram said the aim was to create opportunities for families to play, learn and thrive. 

To date her organisation had transformed the lives of over 150 children and their families in Kavimba where they first tested the model in 2019, she said. 

She explained that her organisation constructed the first phase of the centre through assistance of the Kavimba Village Development Committee, which granted them a plot for the playgroup, and the US Embassy. 

Ms Ram said the centre provided a model for African countries for policy and programme formulation towards raising and nurturing children. 

She added that during the COVID-19 lockdowns her organisation distributed play packs to children in their homes and supported parents through mobile mentoring. 

Learn To Play also trained six women in early childhood learning, child protection, nutrition and mindfulness. 

It then employed them on full-time basis. 

Munitenge Sinvula III of Kavimba embraced the donation, saying it would give more children access to early childhood education, which helped to build their self-esteem. 

The chief also asked potential donors to help complete the centre. A lead teacher at the centre, Ms Gladness Nyoka told the gathering that a Peace-Corp going by the name Peo, who was attached to Kavimba Clinic came up with the idea of the playgroup. 

Peo contacted Learn To Play who loved the idea and implemented it. Ms Nyoka pleaded with Kavimba parents to bring their children to the centre saying only a few children attended during winter. 

Proposing a vote of thanks, Learn To Play chief opportunities officer, Mr Eashwar Ramesh thanked the United States Embassy for funding the Kavimba ECD centre and others around the country. 

He thanked the teachers for serving the children and building a bright future for them. Ends