In Agojo sub-county, Adjumani district, rain is a blessing, for it not only freshens the hot weather, but also brings hope for the farmers. When the fields get water, expectations for bumper harvest rise.

Yet at Agojo Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre, rain is a nightmare. The centre, which has over 175 children from Agojo refugee settlement and the host community, grapples with insufficient classrooms for teaching and learning activities.

It has a temporary tent provided by UNHCR, which serves as a classroom for some classes. When it rains, the tent leaks and the flowing water cannot allow lessons to continue.

Irene Anzoa, a parent, says whenever it rains, caregivers send the children back home even before breakoff time, which affects their learning, especially in the rainy seasons.

“Weary of such occasions, we, the parents in the community, mobilised to set up a classroom block. However, besides the bricks, which we made from local materials, we could not put up a fully-fledged modern classroom,” she says.

They sought help from development partners, to which Plan International responded with the construction of a two-classroom block.

Today, the lead caregiver, Grace Affo, says the classroom block has boosted the prospects of the ‘learning with play’ method of instruction that is used at the centre.

She said well-constructed classrooms not only attract learners and improve enrolment at the school, but also offer protective environment.

The centre, which started in 2018, attracts mostly children from refugees, who have fled insecurity in South Sudan in 2017.

Grace Affo, the lead caregiver at Agojo ECD centre, in Adjuman.

Play matters

Education is integrated with play, thanks to Play Matters, a five-year programme that aims to strengthen children’s resilience and build their social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative skills through play-based learning.

In Uganda, it is implemented in 28 ECD in nine refugee hosting districts, including Kyegegwa, Isingiro, Kikuube, Lamwo, Madi Okollo, Terego, Obongi, Yumbe, and Adjumani.

“Children find learning through play-less stressful, participatory and improves their social skills, well-being and growth. The concepts learnt stay with the children for a lifetime,” Affo said.

While commissioning the block on Tuesday, the resident district commissioner, Taban Peter Data, encouraged the parents to take advantage of government’s open-door policy on refugees and ensure their children access education.

He also encouraged the parents to collaborate in maintaining the school, because “such environments promote peace co-existence between the refugees and host communities. Children build relations that go beyond the classroom and school to their homes,” he added.

Ronald Kazibwe, the project manager of Play Matters at Plan International Uganda, said the classroom block, which cost sh85m, was constructed to improve the quality of learning through play.