Juba, South Sudan | 5 August 2026

The PlayMatters consortium today officially launched PlayMatters in South Sudan, marking the project’s expansion into a fourth country as it enters a new phase focused on scaling learning through play through national education systems.

Implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, and with support from the LEGO Foundation through the UBS Optimus Foundation, PlayMatters in South Sudan will work alongside the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, national partners, schools, and communities to strengthen teacher professional development in learning through play, improve teaching practices and increase access to quality, inclusive and engaging learning opportunities for children across South Sudan. The project aims to reach 160,000 children in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Lake, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Eastern and Central Equitoria States over the next four years.

The launch builds on more than five years of successful implementation in Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, where the project has reached 984,000 children and supported 934 schools, surpassing its original target of 800,000 children while demonstrating that learning through play improves children's holistic learning outcomes and teacher wellbeing. The project has also established practical pathways for integrating learning through play into national education systems. 

Today's launch marks an exciting new chapter for PlayMatters," said Martin Omukuba, Project Director, PlayMatters.

"Over the past five years, we have demonstrated that learning through play is an effective teaching approach to improving children's learning, wellbeing and teacher practice, especially in crisis-affected contexts. We are excited to build on these lessons in collaboration with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction to ensure that more children have access to engaging, inclusive and meaningful learning experiences."

Speaking during the launch, the Guest of Honor, the Undersecretary from the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, Hon. Omot Okony Olok Guon welcomed the partnership and reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to improving learning outcomes for children across South Sudan through strengthened teacher professional development and quality education. 

''We look forward to collaborating in co-creating and adapting PlayMatters materials to fit our context. We will embed this method without our teacher training institutions. Let's take this program seriously and cascade it to other states,'' he said. 

PlayMatters is built on the belief that every child deserves opportunities to learn in ways that are active, engaging and meaningful. By supporting teachers,  schools and working through national education systems, the project aims to improve holistic learning and wellbeing outcomes of pre-primary and primary school children. 

Learn more about PlayMatters in South Sudan on our factsheet here.