ERIC Number: EJ1304843
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2518-6833
EISSN: N/A
BRAC Humanitarian Play Lab Model: Promoting Healing, Learning, and Development for Displaced Rohingya Children
Mariam, Erum; Ahmad, Jahanara; Sarwar, Sarwat Sarah
Journal on Education in Emergencies, v7 n1 p133-149 Jun 2021
In August 2017, almost a million Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar; 55 percent of them were children. BRAC, one of the largest nongovernmental organizations in the world, operates an initiative called the Humanitarian Play Lab model for children ages 0-6 in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. The intervention combines play-based learning with psychosocial support from para-counselors to promote positive developmental outcomes for children in crisis settings. Designed using a community-based participatory approach that promotes a sense of pride and belonging among those living in a displaced community, the play model strongly emphasizes the importance indigenous cultural practices play in healing and learning. This field note, in which we describe the key features of the play model, covers the period of implementation from its start in October 2017 up to December 2019. Our intended audience includes policymakers, practitioners, and other advocates for early childhood development and play who are working to promote child development and wellbeing in humanitarian settings. We offer this description as a case study of how providing play-based learning to children in emergency situations may help mitigate the detrimental long-term effects of displacement and trauma.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Refugees, Young Children, Play, Teaching Methods, Mental Health, Child Development, Cultural Relevance, Models, Preschool Education, Childhood Needs, Parent Role, Mothers, Counseling, Well Being
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies. 122 East 42nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10168. e-mail: journal@inee.org; Web site: https://inee.org/evidence/journal
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Burma; Bangladesh
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A