Blog Post

On World Play Day, HOPE worldwide South Africa announces a new, national Caregiver “Learning Through Play” project with support from the LEGO Foundation.

HOPE worldwide • May 28, 2021


HOPE worldwide South Africa is a national, non-governmental organization that works in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector in seven provinces in South Africa. We are partnered with Save the Children South Africa, the Ntataise Trust, and the Early Learning Research Unit, and with funding from the LEGO Foundation with the goal of providing Caregiver Learning through Play (CLtP) training and support to 600,000 caregivers and ECD practitioners over four years.

Unfortunately, millions of children in SA are being robbed of their learning potential primarily due to poverty, a lack of access to early learning play opportunities and “toxic” stress as experienced by their primary caregivers. This project seeks to address this dire situation, by creating a scalable model which government and other stakeholders can use to create a play movement in South Africa.


“Through the partnership, we aim to affect a significant shift in caregiver behavior and their perception of learning through play to accelerate the benefits of playful learning in South Africa,” said Dr. Marc Aguirre, Country Director & Regional Technical Advisor at HOPE worldwide South Africa.


Learning through play is an enabling, motivating and transformative process for children and their caregivers to prepare children for lifelong success.


“We want to empower children to become their best future selves by developing the skills needed for a changing world through playful learning. And we know learning through play is only possible if caregivers – the key contributors to a child’s early development – can unlock the power of play to give children the best possible start in life,” said Kerry Kassen, Director, LEGO Foundation in South Africa.



“Powerful partnerships like the one we have with HWSA are critical in achieving this. We’re partnering with HWSA to increase the understanding of the benefits of playful learning, and to strengthening caregivers' capacity to provide early stimulation, play and responsive care.”


For more information, follow HOPE worldwide South Africa on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram or visit the LEGO Foundation website.

About HOPE worldwide South Africa

HOPE worldwide SA is an ECD-focused organization that has as its vision ‘to see a South Africa where every young, vulnerable child gets the best possible start in life’. Since 2012, we have assisted hundreds of thousands of parents and young children through a range of services that promote nurturing care and child development. We partner with a range of stakeholders and donors to help transform the well-being and futures of children.


About the LEGO Foundation South Africa

As part of the LEGO family, we tap into more than 85 years of insight into the power of play. Our goal is to build a future where play has right of place, and help every child and adult build a brighter and better future by empowering them to navigate our ever-complex world. Since 2009 we’ve helped over 1,000,000 South African children learn through play. We’re involved in many projects across the country and across many life stages and ages, with a variety of partners, all aimed at lifting the general quality of education through play-based learning, with thought leaders, influencers, teachers, parents and caregivers.

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