Keeping children learning and mentally strong

Important new funding from the LEGO Foundation will support Right To Play’s COVID-19 response and recovery

COVID-19 has exacerbated the learning crisis facing millions of children across the globe and created a secondary pandemic of mental health concerns in children and youth.

A generous new USD $5M grant from The LEGO Foundation will help Right To Play ensure children continue to have access to high quality education that is safe, active, and engaging.

Over the next 18 months, Right To Play will develop, pilot and deliver open-source games and resources that help children around the globe learn at home, and acquire communication and self-efficacy skills that help them cope with the effects of trauma, including those caused by the pandemic.

The new funding will also allow us to increase our ability to share our expertise in learning through play with other partners, including ministries of education.

“Learning through play is particularly important for children in humanitarian and crisis settings, who now face a double emergency with COVID-19. Play not only helps children learn and stay in school, it also helps children build resilience,” said Susan McIsaac, CEO of Right To Play International. “We’re excited to continue to work closely with The LEGO Foundation to ensure that all children are able to access learning through play and are empowered with knowledge and skills that they need to thrive.”

The LEGO Foundation funding announcement was delivered by CEO Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen at the Global Citizen Live Festival held in Paris on September 25, 2021.

“We are at a transformational moment for educational systems everywhere. This donation builds on the LEGO Foundation’s core values of finding creative solutions to the difficult challenges, caring for children and the communities they live in, and the power of collaboration to address the challenges, and opportunities, posed by the COVID-19 pandemic” said Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, Chief Executive Officer, LEGO Foundation. “Together we need to make a leap in playful learning, creating a future that promotes inclusive education, lifelong learning opportunities for all children, and where holistic skills and innovation are central. We call on the private sector, philanthropic organisations, governments and other donors to donate generously to the global COVID-19 response. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”