Playgroup

The Playgroup is a space for pre-school sponsored children to socialise and play. Children come with their guardians for a safe space where they develop both by interacting with each other and with toys they often don’t have at home. Primary school starts at age seven in Ethiopia and few schools have kindergartens attached for earlier learning. The first years of a child’s life are vital to lay the foundations for learning in the future and the Playgroup exists to provide this, as well as support and resources for parents.

The Playgroup is open mornings and afternoons and parents with children under the age of 6 are welcome to come. A meal is served to each child when they attend to support their health growth and there is a dedicated youth worker at the Playgroup. She spends time speaking with the mothers and guardians, sharing ideas about good sanitation and nutrition for the children, and time with the children, teaching them basic literacy and numeracy and helping them to draw and play.

The Playgroup serves many purposes for both the children and their parents;

• Safe play for young children – most of the children we support cannot afford toys at home, at the Playgroup they have access to crayons for drawing, puzzles, and toys to enjoy with other children
• Early childhood development – the children practice the alphabet, learn numbers, start drawing, and use educational toys such as blocks and puzzles. This lays the foundations of their knowledge and enables them to thrive when they start at school
• Social and peer support for parents – guardians get to meet with other parents when they bring their child. They can socialise, and get guidance on good health and nutrition
• Nutritional health and sanitation – each child gets a balanced meal including vegetables and proteins, and every week the children have a bath with soap as many families don’t have easy access to water at home.