By Raisa Okwaras
The World Vision (WV) has partnered with the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) in launching a Lego Foundation-funded campaign dubbed ‘Build a world of Play’.
The campaign aims at improving the learning experience of early education learners in Kenya. In addition, it aims at promoting an enduring love for learning through integrated play-based activities both in school and in learning forums.
According to research, play forms a fundamental mode through which children gain critical knowledge and skills.
This project received ksh.3 million funding from LEGO Foundation. The project is set to benefit more than six thousand young learners, and teachers, plus about five thousand caregivers in Kakamega, Nairobi, and Narok counties. Still, there are plans to extend it to other parts of the country.
In addition, the stakeholders of this campaign will work closely with Government officials and education officers to enhance the integration of play with other learning activities. It will also support the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya.
According to World Vision Kenya Acting National Director Geoffrey Kativa, this initiative is significant in using the power of play to improve the outcome of learning among early learners by effective integration of play-based activities.
“This collaborative project is an integrated tool that will incorporate County education officers, school heads, teachers, and caregivers in promoting play as a critical element in teaching early years’ education. It will also ensure that the value of play for children’s holistic development and learning is widely understood and enacted in early years’ education policies and reflected in resource allocation,” he stated.
Through the initiative, KLNS will leverage the use of its mobile library to promote learning through play in different counties in Kenya. These play-bus caravans will target early learners, their parents, and schools, with early learners being able to read in different spots throughout the country.
While flagging off the KNLS play-bus caravan in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, the KNLS Acting CEO Dr. Charles Nzivo affirmed that the campaign resonates well with what the company has been doing in promoting reading activities among children. For instance, the company has refurbished children’s corners in the library by adding colorful paintings and including relevant child-friendly learning materials like games and toys, audio-visual content, and books.
This initiative forms part of LEGO’s 90th-anniversary celebration that seeks to strengthen the understanding of families on the value of play. This is in pre-primary environments and in their homes. The campaign will do so by informing parents plus caregivers about their roles. So far, some parents, caregivers, early learners, and schools are already benefitting from this initiative.
Source; http://www.wvi.org
Leave a Reply