Teaching the Benefits of Play, Mindfulness and Yoga for Refugees in Uganda

We are thrilled to be working with Learn to Play Botswana, who have just returned from Kyaka II refugee settlement in Uganda, where they have been training our staff, caregivers (what we would know as ‘preschool teachers’), and the local volunteers who support the programme on the importance of mindful play and creativity. 

To ensure the children we support are being given the best care, and to help caregivers understand the value of play based learning and mindfulness, we’ve teamed up with ‘Learn to Play’, a wonderful organisation, based in Botswana, who also believe in the power of play to improve wellbeing, transform lives and enable children to thrive. 

Play isn't just for children!

​In January, training sessions and workshops were held for trainers, caregivers and staff using games, drama and role play to share knowledge and approaches. It’s not just children that learn best through play, this applies to adults too!

Training sessions covered child rights and child protection, encouraging participants to develop deeper empathy and compassion on the rights of children by putting themselves in the child’s shoes. 

A session on social and emotional learning helped to create links between play, wellbeing and learning and gave participants an understanding of why social and emotional development in the early years is so important to a child’s overall development. ​

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EARLY YEARS EDUCATION

Through our early years education programmes, in Uganda and Myanmar, we focus on the importance of play, to help refugee children, who have often experienced trauma, process what they have been through and begin to heal and recover. 

In the earliest years of life, children need nutrition, protection and stimulation for healthy brain development. Early love, affection and affirmation from parents and family shows children how to trust and to interact with those around them. To put it simply, babies and young children need food, play and love.

This is especially important in Kyaka II refugee settlement in Uganda, where we provide high quality early years education in safe, protective spaces for over 10,000 Congolese refugee children, aged 3-6 years old. 

We support these children through dedicated Early Childhood Development centres (preschools) and through our award winning Cluster Learning programme, where children gather in small groups to learn near their homes. We train refugees themselves as caregivers so that children can learn and play in a safe environment, with familiar trusted adults, who understand their situation and what they have been through.

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​The team were shown examples of how to use mindful play and mindfulness with the children,  learning exercises like ‘bubble breathing’ and ‘rainbow breathing’ to help children  learn strategies to feel calm.

​Participants took part in group mindfulness sessions and were able to join in with some yoga practice, with the adults noting that they themselves felt calmer and less stressed after taking part. For adults and children, who have experienced trauma, these skills are so important to their overall wellbeing and recovery. ​

Outdoor yoga sessions

Learning breathing techniques

A session on how to foster creativity and imagination for children got participants making resources for children to help make learning interesting and attractive for children.Participants were taught about the importance of giving children creative freedom to express themselves by painting and drawing freely, with no guidance, along with sharing made up stories. These opportunities are vital for children to develop their ability to process their emotions and explore how they see the world. 

All the sessions were full of fun, and designed in a way that participants can share what they have learnt with fellow caregivers and parents. 

Learn to Play specialise in demonstrating the value of Early Childhood Development (ECD) to parents, stakeholders, and caregivers in places where ECD may not yet be seen as a necessity. They want to show that play is vital for young children, and a focus on learning by rote, or encouraging academic achievement at a young age can be detrimental to a child's overall wellbeing and development. 

Our Education consultant, Ismael, told us: “my biggest takeaway from the training was learning that children should appreciate and celebrate themselves. This is something that in our culture is not common. People are taught to respect and serve others first and foremost”.  He also told us that the training showed the impact of using play to teach caregivers, stakeholders and parents, the key concepts of child development and the science behind play. ​

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“USING PLAY HAS MADE LEARNING MUCH MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE, COMPARED TO THE MORE TRADITIONAL ‘ROTE’ LEARNING STYLE TRAINING THAT WE USUALLY SEE HERE”. 

ISMAEL - LILE INAM​ (EDUCATION CONSULTANT)

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“I NEVER KNEW HOW TO APPROACH THE DIFFICULT SUBJECT OF SEXUAL ABUSE IN A CHILD FRIENDLY WAY WITH MY 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, EVERYTHING FELT WEIRD, AND YET SHE IS STARTING PRE-SCHOOL THIS YEAR. I'M GLAD I LEARNED HOW TO DO IT WITH THE "MY BODY IS MINE" BOOK, WHICH WAS INTRODUCED TO US BY LEARN TO PLAY'.

SOLOMON MUTUMBA - CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

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After the training, participants told us that they enjoyed learning new things. They said they understand the different kinds of stress children may be experiencing and now have some practical tools and methods of calming them. Many people told us that the breathing exercises taught will be incredibly helpful and  they will use their learning to spread their new knowledge at home, in the community and at the preschools.

​We are excited about the impact that this training and approach will have on the children we support in Kyaka II. By changing attitudes and the understanding of early years learning and care within communities here, a whole generation of children here can be nurtured, protected and given a better chance to thrive.

“I DON’T KNOW THE MAGIC THAT IS WITHIN THE BREATHING EXERCISES, BUT THEY ARE REALLY SO GOOD. THEY HELP YOU RECOMPOSE YOURSELF, SETTLE YOUR MIND, GET REFRESHED AND I FOUND IT REALLY AMAZING AS AN EXERCISE THAT WE CAN TAKE TO CHILDREN AND EVEN ADULTS, WHO ARE STRUGGLING EMOTIONALLY”.

​ISMAEL - LILE INAM​

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We know that the best way to protect children who have suffered trauma or are living through crises is to create a safe, colourful environment, with trusted adults and plenty of opportunities to express themselves, learn and play with friends. 

​As the training from ‘Learn to Play’ takes effect within our early childhood development programme in Kyaka II, we’re excited to see the benefits on the children of more play based learning, free play, mindfulness and positive affirmations to improve their wellbeing.

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Our work with the youngest refugee children in Uganda is kindly supported by the players of People's Postcode Lottery. Here in the Kyaka II refugee settlement, we deliver high-quality, cost-effective Early Childhood Development (ECD) provision, in safe spaces, to thousands of children aged 3-6 years.

Children on the Edge supports programmes for under fives in Uganda and Myanmar. We currently offer early years education to around 10,000 children either through one of our 47 ECD centres, or in safe spaces created within communities.

With our years of experience, together with our local partners,  we have developed a number of successful approaches to best practice in ECD which we have both replicated and adapted in different settings. 

Our approach makes a real difference in children’s cognitive development and later success in school. It focuses on creating a protective environment for children at the most vital time in their development, ensuring they have the best possible start in life and are enabled to thrive.   

READ MORE ABOUT OUR APPROACH TO EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT >>

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