BRAC Play Lab: A Creative Space for Children's Development

BRAC IED's Play Lab stall at the Hope Festival provided a lively and creative space for children to express themselves, interact with others, and develop essential skills. 

"I've created a human giraffe, and I'll call it 'gira-man'," says a child while describing their imaginative creation.

The Play Lab is an initiative of the BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED) that emphasizes the importance of play in early childhood development. According to Nahid Parvin, a senior manager at BRAC IED, "Playing enables children to express themselves, laugh, and interact with each other. This is where the idea of Play Lab comes in."

As part of BRAC 50-year march, the three-day Hope Festival started on February 9 at the capital's Army Stadium. The Play Lab at the Hope Festival received visits from people of all ages and backgrounds, including parents, educationists, and celebrities, who expressed their appreciation for the initiative. Children engaged in various arts and crafts activities, making origami binoculars and clay toys.

Under the supervision of BRAC IED, there are currently 304 Play Labs around the country, with play leaders who assist children in their arts and crafts experiments.

Hamida Ashrafi Fateha, an architect with BRAC IED, emphasizes the affordability of such play centres, saying "We design Play Labs with low or no-cost materials." This makes the Play Labs accessible to children from all backgrounds. The model has also been replicated in countries like Uganda and Tanzania.

BRAC IED is also working towards establishing daycare centers with play facilities, especially for the children of low-income households whose parents work in readymade garment factories. "We are also collaborating with the government in making curricula," adds Nahid Parvin, senior Manager, BRAC IED. They aim to ensure that children receive quality education and care.

"I am really glad to see this play lab. Nowadays, children are addicted to mobile phones and don't have much time to play outdoors", says a parent who visited the Play Lab with her children.

"The Play Lab has taken me back to my childhood. It is difficult to find such places where children can play and learn at the same time", shares another parent who visited the Play Lab with her child.

The Play Lab initiative, along with the daycare centres, aims to improve the lives of children in Bangladesh by providing them with access to quality education and care. As Mehzabin Haque, a professor at Dhaka University, puts it, "Playing is a right. It's a basic demand like food." With the Play Lab initiative, BRAC IED hopes to develop a creative generation in Bangladesh, providing children with a safe space to learn and grow.

Since 2013, BRAC IED has been striving to enhance mental health at different levels of society throughout the country, with the help of almost 700 para counsellors. These para counsellors are elected leaders from their respective communities and are well-versed in the local languages. They offer mental health support to everyone, including children, adolescents, and parents.

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