An Important Message About COVID-19 from Right To Play

Dear valued supporter,

The COVID-19 virus is having a significant impact on communities in Canada and around the world, including those which Right To Play serves. The children we work with are some of the most vulnerable and are particularly susceptible to the effects of a crisis like this one.

Although each of the countries we work in has its own unique context and is being impacted differently, our priorities remain the same: to keep the children and staff in our programs safe and to continue our work to protect, educate and empower these children.

This is a fast-changing situation, and we know that there will be challenges ahead. Right To Play is ready to meet those challenges with 20 years of expertise delivering programs with impact and with the passion that drives our mission every day.

Right To Play has a critical role to play in keeping children safe and healthy through this crisis. For many years we have used play in all its forms to teach children how to protect themselves from disease and illness.

Our experience with the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014 was proof that play can save lives. When the epidemic struck we applied our unique play-based approach to equip children with the critical knowledge and skills they needed to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe.

Through fun and engaging games we taught children the importance of hand-washing, how to wash their hand properly to prevent contamination, and fun ways to adjust their social interactions, like using elbow bumps instead of handshakes.

We are working hard to do the same now. We are already adapting and implementing many of these games with the children in our programs to help them stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here in Canada, we know that Indigenous communities bear a disproportionate risk related to COVID-19 due to a number of factors that include crowded living situations, and limited access to health services. We are working to understand and support our 85+ partner communities in the ways that best meet their unique needs and circumstances.

At home and around the globe, we are fully committed to continuing to deliver our programs wherever it is safe to do so, and we are planning alternative approaches to be put in place on a case-by-case basis in communities where in-person delivery is no longer possible. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Our work in times like these is only possible because of you.

Kevin Frey
CEO, Right To Play