Reflections of an Early Years Expert - Playful Learning for Refugee Children was 'incredible to witness'.

Debra Laxton from the University of Chichester reflects on her trip to Kyaka II refugee settlement in Uganda with Children on the Edge. Working with our team, Debra has been helping to develop and evaluate a play-based programme assessment framework and tool that the local community are rolling out for their early years programme in Uganda.

A VISIT TO KYAKA II: DISPELLING PRECONCEPTIONS

Last month, I had the privilege of visiting Kyaka II refugee settlement in the Kyegegwa District of Uganda with Children on the Edge.

The University of Chichester have been working with Sarah Ndlovu, Education Lead at Children on the Edge, for the last 18 months to develop and evaluate a play-based programme assessment framework that has the potential to reflect on early education provision and subsequently improve practice. The trip to Uganda enabled me to gain a better understanding of the context where the tool was initially being piloted. 

The scale of the ambition to implement play-based approaches across Children on the Edge (COTE) Africa’s early education programmes quickly became apparent. The resilience of local communities and the COTE team based in the UK and Uganda, to realise this ambition was incredible to witness and should not be underestimated. 

I had listened to Sarah and her colleagues, I had read widely about refugee contexts and early childhood education. I read about Uganda specifically and I have written about play in extremis and yet, nothing had fully prepared me for the experience of driving into the settlement and walking into the vibrant communities that call this place home. 

On arrival in Kyaka II, any preconceived ideas I may have still held about refugee homes were completely dispelled. No commonly reported media refugee camp with rows of tents on barren ground, suggesting the transient or temporary, exist here. Instead, I found a lush, expansive settlement; the landscape was breathtakingly green, dotted with striking rock formations rising from hills with vast surrounding areas of maize and banana plants. The settlement stretches far and wide, a patchwork of rural communities and emerging small towns connected by mud roads criss-crossing over the settlement to provide access to communities. 

The sheer size of the settlement is awe-inspiring, as are the challenges posed by its expanse. Movement to any destination is not easy, especially without transport and even with transport the roads can be challenging for vehicles especially in the rainy season. 

Everywhere, people move with purpose; children walking to school, adults heading to work, motorcycles laden with people and goods, and the occasional car are all vying for space on the road.

The Ugandan Government has taken a progressive approach to receiving refugees and the Kyaka I refugee settlement was created in 1984 following the decision to host refugees in designated areas. Kyaka II was established and replaced Kyaka I in 2005. 

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR, 2022 & 2024) reports that Kyegegwa District has 134,199 refugees, 19% of the total population in the area. 77% of the refugees are women and children. 95% of refugees are Congolese, escaping conflict, persecution and instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (UNHRC, 2022). 

In the last two years there has been a large influx of refugees across Uganda, including Kyaka II, as people flee civil war in neighbouring countries. The Ugandan Government has consistently provided refugees with land on settlements, allowing refugees to build homes, work the land, and create lives of stability, however limited their choices might be. Homes range from mud structures to concrete builds, each with its own story of resilience and adaptation.

THE POWER OF PLAY BASED EDUCATION

Children on the Edge has set up and currently supports over 200 cluster learning groups for 5,000 young children across zones 1-5 of the settlement and caregivers are currently being recruited and trained for further groups in other settlement zones. 
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Cluster groups aim to provide safe spaces where children can engage in playful learning approaches alongside familiar adults who care for and listen to them. Early education is positioned right at the heart of each community. 

The caregivers are local community members selected and trained by COTE, in collaboration with communities, to lead and manage play-based learning. This gives agency and empowers whole communities and creates value for specific individuals (caregivers) within each community. 
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I was fortunate enough to visit six outdoor cluster learning sessions during my trip. Cluster groups offer early education to children aged 3–6 years for three hours a day, three days a week and each cluster group has children divided by age into three groups; baby group, middle group and top group.

CLUSTER LEARNING: TRANSFORMING EARLY EDUCATION

COTE insists on a ratio of 1 adult to 15 children which promotes child safety, learning outcomes, and overall well-being. COTE never turns children away, their ‘learning for all’ philosophy is clear; when the ratio rises, another caregiver is found. 

This practice is not common and whilst on my visit, I met community teachers from other organisations working in ratios of 1:50 and above which is hard to imagine.

As we drove up to the first cluster group, I peered down a narrow pathway amidst the maize and banana plants and saw and heard lively children and caregivers in a circle singing along enthusiastically to action rhymes in a small clearing. 

Another cluster group was equally memorable. The group was literally at the hub of the community, set right outside residential homes. Surrounding families were going about their daily lives, with one mother bathing her baby in a wash bowl nearby. She lifted the baby in and out of the bowl, raising the baby up high and then lowering to the bowl. It was clearly a joyful experience for mother and child who were laughing and communicating verbally, and it was certainly a joy to observe. 

It struck me how deeply integrated these groups are within the fabric of their communities. In all cluster groups, children were engaged in playful learning. For example, caregivers were encouraging children to count and solve simple math problems using concrete objects and rhythm and rhyme, they were leading them in physical fun and singing activities and reading and telling stories. Handwashing stations were available and in use, promoting good hygiene alongside education. 

Another highlight was visiting a cluster group hosting a "fun day" for parents. Families explored the value of play-based learning by playing alongside their children. Parents shared heartfelt stories about how cluster groups had transformed their children’s learning experiences. One parent spoke passionately about now understanding the importance of play and how it has inspired him to encourage and engage in playful learning at home.

THE ROLE OF CAREGIVERS AND TRAINERS

The caregivers’ work is supported by a team of three dedicated project officers from COTE Africa, Wardah, Justine and Kauthara, whose passion and understanding for play-based pedagogy and desire to learn more was evident from our everyday interactions. 

The organisation’s “trainer-of-teacher” (ToT) model is clearly paying off. Project officers support ToTs to support caregivers across the settlement. ToTs have usually been caregivers with COTE and are individuals who have demonstrated a growth in early childhood education knowledge, understanding and practice to the extent where they are selected to become a ToT and support caregivers.

They enable the creation of safe spaces and ensure the provision of playful experiences for large numbers of children across the district. 

CHALLENGES AND RESILIENCE IN KYAKA II

COTE’s ambition and the drive through community action is remarkable considering the challenges the settlement faces. Access to essential services like education, healthcare, and food is far from easy, particularly for those in more remote areas. Water is drawn from central pumps, and electricity in homes is rare. 

Despite these hardships, the partnership between communities and COTE Africa are creating something extraordinary within ordinary community lives. Every cluster learning space I visited was on a journey to enabling children to lead their learning through playful exploration, creativity, and critical thinking. ​

TRIP REFLECTIONS - HOPE AND COLLABORATION

My visit to the settlement made me feel humble and left an indelible mark. The work being done here, driven by the collaboration between COTE and the communities, is nothing short of transformative. The resilience of the people I met, their kindness, and their unwavering determination to create a better future for their children will stay with me. 

My visit reinforced my belief in the power of play, not just as a tool for education but as a foundation for hope and agency. It is a privilege to be a small part of an effort that is making such a meaningful difference.