Action What Works A Sporting Chance In troubled spots around the world, Right to Play shows how fun and games can be a serious tool for development. By S uz i e B oss
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of right to play
Children in a village in Uganda run, dodge, and squeal with delight as they play a game of tag. There’s more afoot here than an ordinary childhood game. Two kids who are “it” buzz like mosquitoes. Other children, when they get tagged by one of that pair, pretend to suffer from the aches and fever of malaria. It doesn’t take long before the “mosquitoes” win. Then an adult on the sidelines introduces a new rule: When a mosquito approaches, children can put up their hands to mime the act of holding up a bed net. With a net in place, they can’t get tagged. This version of the game ends without any children getting “infected.” The leader now has a perfect opening to reinforce the message that, in real life, sleeping under a bed net provides an excellent defense against malaria. Malaria tag may seem like a simple game, but it is achieving profound Johann Koss, Olympic results. Johann Koss, founder and CEO athlete turned social of an international organization called innovator, shares a Right to Play, says that children carry the playful moment with children in Uganda. message of the game to their families. “When they go home, they’re captains of the malaria nets. They become very responsible, making sure their siblings and parents sleep under the nets,” he explains. Hard data back him up. In regions of Uganda where Right to Play programming has been introduced, 84 percent of children use malaria nets; nationwide, only 10 percent of them do so. Through play, Koss says, “children become change agents.” Right to Play is tackling a wide array of global challenges through the medium of sport and play. Its carefully designed programming helps kids and young people recover from the devastating effects of war, extreme poverty, and tribal conflict. Each week, 1 million children in more than 20 countries take part in Right to Play activities that emphasize play and sport as essential ingredients of a healthy childhood. Suzie Boss is a Portland, Ore.-based journalist who writes about social change and education. Along with writing frequently for Stanford Social Innovation Review, she contributes to Edutopia and is the author of Bringing Innovation to School.
The organization has honed a model that informs every move in its organizational playbook. “The core methodology is to create behavior change,” Koss explains. Facilitators can choose from 50 games and sports activities, and each activity addresses a specific challenge—from helping schoolchildren concentrate on their lessons to helping street youths avoid HIV and AIDS. “There’s no better way to learn,” Koss insists. “The motivation comes from the fun of the game itself.” Josephine Mukakalisa, a Right to Play country manager for Tanzania, notes how children react whenever they spot the red soccer ball that has come to symbolize Right to Play. “When children see that it is time to play, they get very excited. After playing, they come together and discuss their lives and what they have learned in the games,” she says. Previously, Mukakalisa worked with Right to Play in Rwanda, her native country. She credits the organization with “helping to rebuild community cohesion” after the horrors of genocide. Researchers in fields that range from neuroscience to psychology confirm that a play-centered approach holds real, enduring value. “The data are so clear,” says Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play and an early supporter of Koss’s efforts. Fall 201 3 • Stanford Social Innovation Review
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