Stories

• Right To Play Teams With Oilers Foundation On Gender Equity Program For Indigenous Youth

  Right To Play and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation teamed up this spring to develop a ball hockey program to teach gender equity to boys and girls in Indigenous communities. In April 2022, nine youth workers from five partner communities in Alberta were trained to develop a ball hockey program tailored to the needs of children in their communities.

• How Dzidzornu Is Claiming Her Confidence

  Through the support of a Junior Leaders club, Dzidzornu has come out of her shell, claimed her confidence, and become an influential leader among her peers. The club Dzidzornu and her friends attend is part of the Gender Responsive Education and Transformation (GREAT) program.

• A Bigger Lesson Than Winning: Haitham’s Story

  Haitham is a coach in the Palestinian Territories teaching children lessons that go far beyond the pitch, such as respect for others, team spirit, and the dedication it takes to find the best in themselves.

• "We Are Strong" - Watch the Music Video Made by Youth from Fishing Lake Metis Settlement, Alberta

  Youth from Fishing Lake Métis Settlement in Alberta had an exciting time recently, learning to write and record music. In partnership with inPath’s N’we Jinan Mobile Production Studio, community youth got a chance to write lyrics, record their music and make a music video for their song “We Are Strong”.

• How Arfaana Is Chasing Her Dream

  Originally from Quetta, Arfaana's family moved to Karachi in search of a better life. But in Karachi, as in many other places, her teachers thought it was more appropriate for girls to study arts instead of science. Using skills she learned in the GOAL program, Arfaana studied harder in science and advocated for herself so her teachers would have no reason to not let her study.

• How Fatima Kept Her Refugee Family Strong

  Fatima’s family is one of the millions that have been profoundly affected by the Syrian Civil War. For the past seven years, she has been the primary caregiver for her two granddaughters. But Fatima was worried that the girls were becoming more distant, especially after lockdowns began.

• ADVOCATING FOR EQUALITY: EMELYNE’S STORY

  Emelyne was struggling in school, falling behind, and having difficulty affording supplies. Her father encouraged her to drop out. Now Emelyne is not only succeeding in the classroom, but she’s also using her voice to advocate for equality in her community.

• How Eloisa Is Closing the Learning Gap

  Eloisa is just ten years old, but she’s a leader in her school’s reading club, helping her fellow students to strengthen their academic skills as they go back to school after long closures created by COVID-19.

• Cultivating Creativity: Delice’s Story

  Even before the pandemic, girls in Rwanda faced significant barriers to accessing education, and those barriers grew in the wake of COVID-19. Delice dropped out of school. This is the story of how she got back to learning and discovered a love of reading and poetry.

• SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMMING SETS STUDENTS UP FOR SUCCESS

  Beausoleil First Nation, also known as Chimnissing, is an Anishinabek community accessible by ferry in the south end
  of Georgian Bay. Tori is a Community Mentor who has been running Right To Play programming since 2013. Having a
  fully community-owned youth program in Beausoleil First Nation has been one of Tori’s long-term visions, and she
  took big steps toward it this summer.

• Brighter than Gold: Balla’s Story

  Balla, 12, worked in Mali's most dangerous gold mines. Today, she is back in class, excelling in mathematics and French, and wants to go to medical school. This is her journey.

• Standing Strong: Kyaw’s Story

  In the Mae La camp for displaced people in Thailand, there is a lack of trust in the police. In a place where alcohol abuse, domestic violence and crime are common, that makes community mediators crucial for resolving conflict. This is the story of how Kyaw turned his life around and became a valuable community leader.

• Finding healing through music: Alain’s story

  Refugee children in Lebanon like Alain often struggle to process the traumatic experiences they've gone through. A program in Beirut helped Alain learn how to express himself, cope with negative emotions, and connect with others through music and arts.

• Connecting Health and Education: Esperance's Story

  The My Education, My Future program is providing opportunities for girls in Tanzania and Burundi to learn about sexual health, and help keep young refugees like Esperance in school.

• Youth Building Positive Life Skills Through Relationships

  In Dauphin, Manitoba, Indigenous youth have taken a leadership role to create free programming for kids to build confidence, community and gain new skills. The Dauphin Friendship Center is entering their fifth year of partnership with Right to Play, and are focused on running programs around relationship-building in youth.

• Preparing Youth for Adulthood

  In a Secwepemc community in British Columbia, youth have access to a Right To Play program that builds their motivation, skills, and independence as they move into adulthood and employment.

• Standing Up for What She Believes In: Adele’s Story

  Life is hard for girls in rural northern Tanzania. Many girls are forced to undergo female genital mutilation and marry young. Adele enrolled in a Right To Play child rights club at her school and uses the knowledge and confidence she gained there to help girls resist the dangerous practices.

• Standing Strong: Claire’s Story

  Claire was sexually assaulted, became pregnant, and out of fear of teachers and classmates, dropped out of school. Over time, she was able to reclaim her agency, return to school and wants to become a teacher.

• WORKING TOGETHER: SARATA’S STORY

  55% of school-age children in Mali are involved in some form of work. Sarata was one of them, working in the mines after the death of her father pushed her family into poverty. Now she is back in school and wants to become a doctor.

• Free to Be Himself: Taha’s Story

  Taha is a Palestinian refugee who grew up with a mobility impairment. He felt helpless and struggled to leave his home in Gaza, but thanks to a psychosocial support program for children with disabilities, he developed the confidence and independence to face the world.

• Finding Hope for the Future: Martha's Story

  When schools were closed due to COVID-19, Martha's family couldn't afford at-home tutors, and she was under pressure to end her education and find work in Accra. That's when Alhassan intervened.

• Overcoming displacement and claiming her right to education: Zainab’s story

  Since 2015, more than 400,000 refugees have fled civil unrest in Burundi for camps in Tanzania. 17-year-old Zainab joined the Gender Equality Club in her camp, part of an initiative by the “My Education, My Future” program.

• Connecting with Culture Builds Confidence: Samantha's Story

  Eleven-year-old Samantha expresses deep pride in practicing her Ojibway way of life, which she has had the opportunity to learn more about at the PLAY program.

• Youth builds the strength & voice to lead: Hunter's Story

  Hunter is an 18-year-old youth who first joined his community’s PLAY program in northern Alberta. When Hunter first started, he was very shy and quiet. Through the skill-building activities facilitated by his Community Mentor, he has grown by leaps and bounds.

• Holding on to Hope: Khader’s Story

  In Beit Hanoun, on the northeastern border of the Gaza Strip, violence has been common, there is a large population of refugees, and poverty is rampant. Children rely on coaches like Khader to bring much-needed recreational and extracurricular activities that help them hold onto hope.

• Building a Community: Than’s Story

  Than is one of hundreds of thousands of Karen people who fled from government violence in Myanmar as a child. He has worked with Right To Play for many years, supporting children and families like his, separated or displaced, to discover the power within themselves to rise above difficult circumstances.

• Finding His Passion: Jayden’s Story

  Jayden lives in a remote Indigenous community in British Columbia, and was feeling isolated. Our PLAY (Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth) program helped him connect with others and discover a new passion along the way.

• Resilience: Daniyal’s Story

  The story of how one boy is coping with the trauma of the Beirut explosion.

• How Judith Stood Up to Female Genital Mutilation

  When schools closed due to COVID-19, Judith faced her worst fear. But she resisted the pressure of female genital mutilation.

• I Want to Learn: Mateus’s Story

  The story of how one boy refused to let COVID-19 stop him from learning.

• “Anyone Could Be Next”: Irene’s Story

  The story of how one girl in rural Ghana is defending her community from COVID-19.

• A Champion for Children: Danielle’s Story

  Danielle was just eight when the Burundi Civil War broke out in 1993. By 15, she had lost her family and was a refugee. Right To Play was present in her camp, and she became involved in 2002. She quickly became a young leader. This is her story.

• Big Goals: Tauseef’s Story

  Tauseef is from the well-known football hub of Lyari, Pakistan. But the town is also plagued with poverty, violence and drugs. Tauseef and Right To Play are working with the boys and girls of Lyari to build confidence, communication, and leadership skills.

• Finding the Strength to Help Others: Aya’s Story

  Before Right To Play became a part of her life, Aya was shy and nervous in group settings. Now, she fearlessly speaks to groups of girls and leads them through confidence-building activities.

• Helping Young Refugees Prevent HIV: Robert’s Story

  Robert was skeptical of the power of play at first. But he quickly discovered that play-based learning and sport for development could change the lives of young refugees and children living in poverty in Uganda.

• Witnessing the power of hope in action: Karen Conway's story

  For over a decade, Karen Conway has been inspired by the children in Right To Play programs, and has been working to expand our impact around the globe. This is her story.

• Dreaming Big: Eh Myo Oo’s Story

  Eh Myo Oo is a Takraw star in New Zealand. Just a few years ago, he was in a refugee camp in Thailand, struggling to access the outside world. This is his story.

• Sharing a Legacy of Learning – Karin Howell's Story

  As a teacher in Switzerland, Karin Howell quickly discovered the power play has on children's ability to learn. That is what brought her to Right To Play.

• Witnessing Transformation, Advocating for Education: Allyson Felix’s Story

  Education has always been an important part of Allyson Felix’s life. Providing education opportunities for others is why the legendary Olympian joined the Right To Play team.

• Standing Up For Her Rights: Angelina’s Story

  This is the story of how one young mother in Mozambique refused to give up on her right to an education.

• Believing In Themselves: Bertha and Bilkis’ Stories

  How two young women in Ghana overcame gender stereotypes and stigma to become outspoken leaders for girls in their community.

• Tala Takes a Stand Against Gender Inequality

  It remains far too common for girls to not be given the same opportunities as boys growing up. Tala was expected to stay at home to do housework while the boys played. She challenged that idea.

• Soaring high in the air: Fatima’s story

  Fatima's is the story of a bold young woman who refused to let others limit her dreams.

• Çiya stands up against discrimination through music

  For children like Çiya, the struggle to rise above adversity and find a way back to hope is a long, uphill battle.

• Never Give Up: Chala’s Story

  “Right To Play has played a decisive role in my academic achievement” – Chala, Right To Play alumnus

• Rising Up: Empowering Displaced Children in Thailand to Cope With Crisis

  We have empowered more than 120,000 displaced and refugee children in Thailand to develop confidence in their future. Here's how we're adapting that work amid COVID-19.

• A Mother’s Courage ⁠— Fatena’s Story

  Fatena, one of our 20th anniversary alumni, protects her family from the psychological strain of life as refugees using skills she learned from Right To Play.

• "I Have a Big Vision": Gilbert's Story

  Gilbert has big plans: he wants to be a civil engineer designing affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities, people whose lives have been shaped by the legacy of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, just as his own family's lives have been.

• Rising: Aissa’s Story

  Aissa joined a Right To Play program in Mali 12 years ago. Now she's a leader, empowering girls through the non-profit organization she founded.

• A Desperate Decision: Antonia and Sarah’s Story

  Antonia and Sarah were nearly forced into marriage at just 12 and 10 years old, but the sisters are back with their families and re-enrolled in school. This is their story.

• Out of the Horrors of War, Hope

  Qasida's father was killed during the Syrian Civil War. Here's how she found hope.

• Aurora speaks truth to power

  These young people are using the power of storytelling to help eliminate child marriage and early pregnancy from their hometown.

• New Generation, New Hope

  Obaansi is just 18 years old, and the first member of her family to go to high school, but she’s already changing the lives of children in her hometown.

• Life played out on the pitch

  Said is transforming and uniting his community from a dusty football pitch in Lebanon.

• Saying "NO" to Child Marriage

  With some help from Right To Play, Zaida was able to resist child marriage and continue her studies.

• Htoo Htoo participates in a Play Day

  Htoo Htoo, a 12-year-old Karen refugee from Myanmar who was born in Thailand's Umpiem Refugee Camp. Watch him experience his first Play Day.

• Hearing Hands

  Ife is an advocate for the inclusion of deaf people in Ethiopian society.

• A girl with a voice is a strong girl

  In Elu Eteya, Ethiopia, Liya desperately wanted to stay in school. She needed support and she found it in this group.

• The Incredible Strength of a Girl

  She's resilient. She's brave. She's a role model to her peers. Her passion for education has driven her to achieve the second-highest grades in her class...

• When Akwasi Frimpong Dared to Dream, Big Things Happened

  Growing up poor in a one-room home in Kumasi, Ghana, Akwasi Frimpong always dared to dream. At the age of eight he immigrated to the Netherlands. He had never left his hometown or seen white people before. He didn’t speak the language and he struggled to make friends at school. But Akwasi was determined to find his place in his new home.