NEW YORK, United States — Johann Olav Koss, a former Norwegian Olympic speedskater, led a humanitarian aid trip to Eritrea in 1994 ahead of the Lillehammer Olympics. During this trip, Koss encountered the brutality of war contrasted with children in the streets kicking a shirtball back and forth.
This resilience inspired Koss to found Right to Play in 2000 in response to humanitarian needs across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. With a vision to support children through play to become thriving adults, the organization spent its early years establishing programs in Uganda, Tanzania, Thailand and many other territories. In these formative years, Right to Play helped more than 500,000 children each week.
Operating Countries
Expansion in 2006 included China, Pakistan, Lebanon and other nations where a total of 700,000 children received assistance each week. By addressing the need for protection and empowerment, the organization provided children with a space to learn and grow without threat from war, disaster and societal collapse.
In 2010, Right to Play moved into Canada. Despite being a developed country typically associated with offering first-class programs and support for children, Indigenous communities in Canada face worse rates of poverty and health than non-Indigenous Canadians. One in four First Nations children live in poverty compared to one in six non-Aboriginal children, with 40% of off-reserve Aboriginal children living in poverty. By growing efforts in Canada, Right to Play demonstrated its commitment to addressing the needs of Indigenous children and low-income families. This expansion also increased the organization’s overall impact to more than one million children globally per week.
Responding to current crises is a significant aspect of Right to Play’s work. Following the Syrian refugee crisis in 2013, programs in Lebanon and Jordan provided social and emotional support for refugee children.
In 2016, the organization’s programs were incorporated into Rwanda’s primary school curriculum, promoting the power of play over rote memorization to teachers. This integration with education continued the following year in Tanzania, where a partnership with the Education Ministry enabled Right to Play to train more than 16,000 teachers and engage more than 800,000 students through their programs. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remote and online programming was created to help children stay safe, healthy and thriving through digital connection.
In 2021, Right to Play collaborated with Sadio Mane, a Senegalese professional footballer, to raise awareness for their programming in Senegal. Continuing its work with current crises in 2022, the organization responded to the flooding in Pakistan, which impacted millions of children and families, by mobilizing the Children’s Emergency Fund to provide emotional support for children struggling with displacement and fear.
Overall, the organization has reached more than 18 million children through its work, including more than 80,000 refugees and displaced children across 47 countries. Programs to teach teachers, coaches, parents and caregivers to empower children’s learning have also been successful, with more than 2 million individuals involved.
International Day of Play
One of the organization’s major accomplishments was its campaign for the United Nations to declare June 11 the International Day of Play. Finding success in 2024, this milestone promotes play as a universal language capable of building community and relationships among people of all ages. The positive impacts of play in promoting problem-solving and emotional skills in the face of conflict are a key part of the enshrinement of play as a fundamental right of every child in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The 2026 theme promotes play through training parents and guardians to keep online play experiences safe in a constantly changing technological world.
Impact
Focusing on areas such as early childhood care and education, primary education and emotional well-being, Right to Play promotes literacy, engagement and success in young children. This impact has been immense, with stress levels in refugee children in Lebanon dropping 70%, literacy improving 2.5 times in those in organization-supported schools, and socio-emotional skills of Ugandan children more than doubling. By helping children rise above conflict-based obstacles, the organization enables young people to heal from trauma through interactive learning.
Importance of Play
Play is a transformative aspect of a child’s early life, shaping how they view the world, communicate with others and regulate their emotions. Through problem-solving and active engagement, children are encouraged to resolve conflicts, build self-motivation and become lifelong learners.
In addition to learning, play promotes healthy brain development and builds physical health by preventing obesity and allowing children to build resilience. Navigating social relationships and conquering fears is best accomplished through play for those of all ages, but if guardians are preoccupied with the stress of day-to-day survival, children living in poverty are likely to be at a disadvantage compared to their peers.
Need for Right to Play
According to Save the Children, 57% of the poorest children between ages three and four across 88 countries do not have a parent or guardian who engages in play with them. Furthermore, around 90 million children do not have access to playthings, with three in four of all children missing out on play living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The factors contributing to this disparity include caregiver education, location and socio-economic status. For instance, children in low-income countries are 25% less likely to play with their guardians compared to children in high-income countries.
Through organizations like Right to Play, Koss enables families to support their children to learn life skills like compassion, social interaction and conflict resolution. This key social development is possible because of the creation of training programs for caregivers and safe spaces for engagement to ensure that all children have the opportunity to find joy regardless of their circumstances.
– Niamh Werner
Niamh is based in New York, NY, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr