BRAC and the LEGO Foundation on Monday launched a $50 million initiative to provide play-based learning and skills development for 400,000 children and adolescents affected by humanitarian crises in Bangladesh and Uganda.
The initiative, titled Sustaining Play, Learning and Skills in Humanitarian Contexts (SPLASH), was launched at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka.
The five-year partnership aims to improve children's access to education, mental well-being, life skills, and psychosocial support. It will also strengthen the capacity of parents, teachers, and local communities to support children's learning and development.
Addressing the launch event, speakers stressed the importance of ensuring safe, inclusive, and play-based learning opportunities for children affected by humanitarian crises. They said greater investment in education, mental well-being, and community support is essential to help children continue learning despite displacement and other emergencies.
They noted that more than 473 million children worldwide are living in conflict and humanitarian settings, while over 52 million remain out of school. Access to education, protection, and psychosocial support remains severely limited in many crisis-affected areas, they added.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain described the partnership as a significant step toward ensuring children of all ages have opportunities to learn through play and realize their full potential.
"If we ensure children receive the care, support and opportunities they need, we can build a responsible, resilient and future-ready generation capable of leading the country toward greater prosperity," he said.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said play-based learning can spark children's interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from an early age. He said successful approaches developed under the initiative could eventually be integrated into government primary schools.
BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh said sustainable development must be rooted in the needs and leadership of local communities, adding that long-term investment—not short-term projects—is key to achieving lasting impact.
He also underscored the growing importance of investing in children's early development, education, and mental well-being at a time when trust, social cohesion, and hope are under increasing strain.
NGO Affairs Bureau Director General (Secretary) Dr Mohammad Zakaria said initiatives such as SPLASH would strengthen support for children and families in the Rohingya camps and surrounding host communities in Cox's Bazar, particularly in the wake of recent floods and landslides.
In a video message, Tarek Alamir, vice president and head of international programs at the LEGO Foundation, said locally led, evidence-based, and sustainable initiatives are essential to delivering lasting change. He expressed hope that collaboration among governments, local communities, and development partners would expand opportunities for children affected by humanitarian crises.
According to BRAC, the first phase of SPLASH in Bangladesh will run from June 2026 to December 2028. The program will provide age-specific support for children and adolescents from birth to 18 years, including play-based early learning, pre-primary and primary education support, continued learning opportunities, life skills development, vocational training, mentoring, and livelihood support.
Representatives from UNICEF Bangladesh, the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE), the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), BRAC, and other development partners attended the launch.
