Our Stories
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Press Release: PlayMatters 3.0 expands Learning through Play across East Africa
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), together with consortium partners Plan International and War Child Alliance, and with support from the LEGO Foundation, is launching PlayMatters 3.0, the next phase of a flagship education initiative…
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PlayMatters Featured in Global Media Coverage of New IRC–LEGO Foundation Framework Partnership
PlayMatters has received international visibility following the announcement of a new five-year framework partnership between the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the LEGO Foundation aimed at expanding learning and wellbeing…
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PlayMatters 3.0 Virtual launch event program
PlayMatters will officially launch its next phase through a virtual event bringing together representatives from Ministries of Education, consortium partners, the LEGO Foundation, education leaders and practitioners from across the region. The…
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New PlayMatters research published in peer-reviewed journal highlights the promise of learning through play in crisis settings
A new PlayMatters research study, Learning through Play in conflict and crisis contexts: A review of education interventions, has been published in the Education and Conflict Review (ECR), an open-access, peer-reviewed…
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Building Ownership, Improving Outcomes: How Communities Improved Enrolment, Engagement in Afar, Ethiopia
In the pastoralist community of Chifra, sending children to school has never been easy. Low student enrollment, high absenteeism, and limited community participation have historically hindered the performance of The Parent-Teacher-Student…
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Preparing for Scale: Inside the PlayMatters 3.0 Inception Workshop
From March 3–5, 2026, PlayMatters teams from Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan gathered in Entebbe, Uganda for the PlayMatters 3.0 Inception Workshop, a critical milestone in preparing for the next phase of Learning through…
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Yumbe District Lighting the Path to System-Wide Adoption of Learning through Play
Yumbe District, one of Uganda’s largest refugee-hosting districts, has long faced complex education challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, limited teaching and learning resources, and the difficulty of delivering quality education in both…
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Sustaining learning through play in Northern Ethiopia: Reflections from Sheraro and Dedebit
In Sheraro and Dedebit towns of northern Ethiopia, schools are steadily rebuilding, not only their classrooms, but their culture of teaching and learning. Following several years of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and conflict…
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Strengthening Learning through Play in Ethiopia’s Education System: Insights from a New Policy Brief
In June 2025, stakeholders in Ethiopia’s education sector gathered to explore the growing role of play in early childhood learning. The National Conference on Play-based Learning, held alongside the International Day of Play, brought together…
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Low-cost tools, high impact: Sustaining learning through play through co-creation and improvisation of teaching and learning materials
Everyday materials as teaching and learning tools Meaningful learning does not always require expensive resources. Across schools supported by the PlayMatters project in in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, teachers are demonstrating that creativity…