COVID-19 Response: A Message From Right To Play CEO, Kevin Frey

The COVID-19 virus is having a significant impact on communities 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, first and foremost, to keep our staff and the children in our programs safe, and to continue our work to protect, educate and empower these children.

The global situation is changing daily 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 of 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.

We are fully committed to continuing to deliver our programs wherever possible and have begun planning alternative approaches to be put in place on a case-by-case basis in communities where in-person delivery is no longer possible. In countries affected by COVID-19, our staff are practicing social distancing and working remotely to ensure their safety. We will continue to update all of our stakeholders 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