Learn to Play – (Ithute go Tshameka) harnesses the power of play to provide high-quality and culturally-relevant early childhood education. We train and equip motivated Mamapreneurs to lead playgroups in their communities. Easily scalable & replicable in a variety of contexts, our model leads to improved school readiness & holistic wellbeing for the entire family, enabling every child to reach their potential.
In Botswana, 93% of children under the age of 5 do not have access to Early Learning. Poverty, poor health and nutrition, as well as the lack of early stimulation holds these children back. In 2017, Priyanka founded Learn To Play with the vision to ensure that access to high-quality early childhood education was a right and not a luxury.
We approach Early Childhood Development at a child, caregiver & community level to provide holistic solutions for children. Our programme utilises an untapped resource as the key change-agent: Mothers. Mamapreneurs are trained to establish community playgroups & deliver parenting programmes, improving children’s education & development using natural & local materials. This means the resources & people-power are readily available & our model can be delivered, scaled & sustained at low-cost.
Through our unique model (a play & learn curriculum, our Mamapreneur training, & a specially-designed playgroup in a box), communities build the resources they need for sustainable Early Childhood Development. Our parenting support strengthens the confidence & competence of caregivers, developing positive wellbeing for the whole family.
Since 2017, we’ve opened operations in 4 communities and we’ve seen how education & nurturing care are intrinsically linked. We’ve learnt how important a dedicated, child-centered play area is & how working in strong partnerships can do more for a community than any single organisation. We’ve recently been allocated a plot of land by the village leadership of Kavimba to build our own playgroup structure. We provide healthy snacks for each child in our playgroups and parenting programmes are being launched in all our communities to help build vibrant villages. We’re now contextualising the Learn To Play programme to incorporate mindfulness & peace-building to support families and children in Dukwi, a refugee camp in northern Botswana with UNHCR.
We thrive on partnerships and provide trainings on our unique approach to educators, schools and organisations across the globe. We also sell beautiful, handmade play and learn materials to raise funds for our communities. You can sponsor a child or get involved as a volunteer to help us build a brighter Botswana, child by child, mother by mother.
Email us or call +267 3916741 if you want to play for impact in your community.
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