Naivasha – July 3, 2026 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
Approximately a year into implementation, healthcare workers and caregivers in Turkana and Nairobi are proving that play is not a luxury, it is essential healthcare.
Healthcare workers, together with sub-county and county health management teams from Turkana and Nairobi, have completed a five-day sensitization workshop on integrating play-based learning into everyday care. The workshop offered a platform for reflection and cross-learning on the implementation of Play-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions under the Tucheze Tustawi project, nine months since its rollout.
The workshop was a collaboration between the county governments of Turkana and Nairobi, Care for Education (CFE), and Amref Health Africa, with support from the LEGO Foundation.
Experts from the South Africa-based CFE led the sessions, sharing evidence-based models that teams can use to weave play into Early Childhood Development programming. Participants were reminded that the first three years of life matter most, as the brain forms millions of new connections every second during this window, building the neural networks that shape a child’s future.
Facilitators walked through what the developing brain needs at each stage: between 0 and 12 months, connection and sensory exploration is key through responsive caregiving; between 12 and 24 months, movement and discovery grow through walking and exploring; and between 24 and 36 months, independence and imagination develop through pretend play, teaching problem-solving skills and building language development.
Tebbogho Makhetha, Project Manager and Master Trainer at CFE, highlighted key areas of child development as social, cognitive, physical, emotional, and creative, each strengthened by positive, nurturing, and loving experiences. “Between ages 4 and 18, the brain prunes unused connections and retains the ones exercised most often, meaning the quality of a child’s early experiences shapes their learning, behaviour, and wellbeing for life,” she said.
Peer exchange between the two counties surfaced how widely shared early childhood development challenges are, regardless of setting. Teams cited a knowledge gap on the importance of play, with many communities unaware of its developmental role; low involvement from fathers and limited time from mothers due to competing responsibilities; rising screen time negatively affecting children’s physical, social, emotional, and language development; and system-level constraints such as limited resources and a lack of safe play spaces.
Over the months, in Turkana it has become clear that you don’t need expensive toys. Stones, bottle caps, cloth, sticks, and gourds, the things already found at home, can become powerful learning tools. Time, love, and culture, participants agreed, remain the best resources caregivers have.
Gabriel Lopodo, Deputy Director of Family Health Services in Turkana, highlighted that open dialogue helped participants revisit their initial expectations and move toward collaborative problem-solving, acknowledging real-life constraints like work schedules and cultural norms along the way.
Lopodo also shared that the county will incorporate the Malezi Bora initiative during Child Health Week in November, when community teams will showcase play activities already embedded within health facilities, including father-to-father groups and music-based approaches. “Communities are learning from knowledgeable healthcare teams. We look forward to more cross-learning opportunities with the other teams in Nairobi,” he said.
Dr. Miriam Etole, Kamukunji Sub-County Medical Officer of Health, noted that integrating play into every service delivery point supports child development, strengthens caregiver engagement, and improves the overall quality of healthcare.
Fidelina Ndunge, Tucheze Tustawi Project Manager, reflected on how far the teams have come since a similar experience with CFE last year. “We will carry home a lot of experience. I challenge you all, in your future meetings and trainings, to use play as the channel of delivery, using the play items issued, especially the six blocks, to strengthen and promote nurturing care and stimulation for children. All of us are now champions of play-based learning,” she said.
While reminding the team to take care of themselves as much as they take care of others, Ndunge added that while participants are managers, their role now is to sensitize frontline healthcare workers to the same level of awareness, so that play-based approaches are delivered consistently in every engagement with children and caregivers.
Abigail Friedman, Occupational Therapist and Play Specialist, summed up the week’s core message: play is far more than a childhood pastime. “It is a powerful tool for healing, connection, and hope,” she said. “Spending time this week with the team has reinforced that when we equip adults to use and become champions of play in an intentional way, we do not just change children’s lives, we strengthen communities.”
Reinhard Anzeze, Technical Officer for Child Health at Amref’s Tucheze Tustawi project, noted that materials shared at the workshop reinforced why play can now have a place in the facility budget, not just the classroom. “Within health facilities, play helps children cope with illness, painful procedures, and hospital stays. It empowers caregivers to bond with and support their child’s recovery, and it improves service quality, satisfaction, and outcomes,” he said.
The return on investment is tangible, from healthier children and shorter hospital stays to reduced anxiety and behavioural challenges and stronger families and communities. Recommendations for facility budgets include safe, clean, child-friendly play spaces, locally made or low-cost play materials, ongoing training and supportive supervision for staff, caregiver education on responsive caregiving, and routine monitoring of play-based MHPSS and child development indicators.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Fatuma Rajab, Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Health Coordinator in Turkana, called on the team to be the light and advocates of play-based learning, passionate about play as medicine. “When you walk into any room, remember to bring with you positive energy, as that is what you will transfer onto others. Children need such positive adults to learn and grow,” she said.
Participants agreed on a shared path ahead. This includes building knowledge, skills, and behaviour change through caregiver support groups and community dialogues, recognizing that caregiver mental wellbeing is itself crucial to positive child interaction and sustainable change, and deepening multi-sectoral collaboration across health, education, social services, and leadership to ensure programs remain inclusive and effective.
Written by: Esther Mwangi – Assistant Director, Public Communications and Media Relations
