Right To Play Program Results and Outlook (2017-2019)

Below is a summary of our three-year Results and Outlook report. You can view the full report here.

Over the last 3 years, from 2017 – 2019, Right To Play International has continued to expand its programs to reach more children in 15 countries, creating new opportunities through play for those in vulnerable situations to experience quality education and acquire the life skills they need to succeed. Our programs in the area of quality education, child protection, gender equality, health, and peaceful communities have been multi-dimensional and targeted; responding to the felt needs of the children and communities we serve.

Through our unique approach to pioneering child-centered, experiential teaching and safer learning environments, over 2.35 million children have been inspired to stay in school and graduate with improved learning outcomes. The number of children reached in schools and communities within our programs have increased continuously from about 1.89 million in 2017 to 2.35 million in 2019, a jump of 24.34% within the 3-year period.

As depicted in table 1, our programs have reached different beneficiary groups with the number increasing year-on-year since 2017. Parents, teachers, coaches, and community leaders are been engaged, trained, and encouraged to create enabling environment that respects the rights of children and youth.

Not only have our programs reached more children, but also, they have been gender and socially inclusive. Girls and boys were equally targeted and enrolled in our programs over the 3-year period. Given that most of our programs focus on children within the primary school age group, about 60 percent of the teacher and coaches trained to implement child centered approaches in schools and communities are females. As can be seen in table 1 and figures below, over the years, in all countries, children with disability are targeted and included in our programs. Girls and children with disability in particular have been empowered to claim their right to education, dignity and safety in some of the most difficult and fragile contexts.

RTP in a unique way is also responding to the needs of indigenous communities, and lower socioeconomic inner city communities. Through our Canadian Program Office. A total of 11,839 youth have been empowered with skills to adopt healthy coping strategies as at 2019, an increase of 24.11 percent from 9,539 in 2017. This number comprises of youth in indigenous communities, and lower socioeconomic inner city communities as depicted in table 1.

Quality Education

Access to primary education has improved globally in recent years. However, children’s knowledge and skills continue to be limited due to challenges in teaching and learning resources, school facilities, teaching methodologies, teacher and learner competencies, and parental engagement. In the last three years, our education programming has tackled some of these identified challenges through trainings, supplies, facilities rehabilitation and construction, and supplemental learning activities with major improvements against our targets.

Presenting two of the key indicators in our quality education program in table 2 shows the progress related to formal education activities in classrooms. Our targets have been steadily increasing with our programs over the years and largely over-achieving its yearly targets.

Child Protection and Gender Equality

Child protection and gender equality is embedded in all projects with the outmost purpose of ensuring the protection of girls and boys, especially the most vulnerable from abuse, exploitation and other forms of violence. RTP focuses on the prevention of abuse through promotion of positive attitudes and behaviours in and outside the classroom, within communities and homes via life skills development, community-based mechanisms, and child-focused policies.

For the period under-review, over 350 thousand parents/caregivers and community leaders have been trained and sensitised to adopt attitudes and behaviours that provide a caring and protective environment for all children. Nearly 1.18 million girls have been equipped with the necessary life skills and resilience to exercise agency over their bodies and lives, with more than 7,000 empowered with employable skills. As most of our program activities happen in schools, rigorous child protection intervention is pursued with educational staff to reduce the incidence of corporal punishment and bullying. By 2019, 7,843 teachers received training in addressing harmful practices affecting children, and about 80 community child protection committees established to create safer schools and communities for children.

The sensitizations, trainings, child club activities, and child protection committees have resulted in major decline in incidence of peer victimization, child labour, corporal punishment and child marriage in countries such as Pakistan, Mali, Thailand, and Ethiopia.

Year-on-year comparison between targets and actual performance in outputs show that the program achieved impressive results against its targets within the 3-year period. Going forward, RTP aims to establish and strengthen more child-led right advocacy groups and community structures to consolidate our gains in child protection and gender equality.

Review the full report here.