Great news! TOY for Inclusion has received extra funding that will allow the opening of more Play Hubs in 2019-2021.

The new grant awarded by the European Commission will enlarge the group of beneficiaries to include migrant and hard to reach children too.

Thanks to the new funding, the project will open one new Play Hub in each participant country and will expand to Turkey.

“We are delighted to hear that TOY for Inclusion’s Play Hubs can continue to bring services to many children and families of disadvantaged communities. These Play Hubs provide much needed opportunities for families to meet, for children and adults to play together and for parents to receive expert advice on how to nurture child development”, says Mathijs Euwema, Director of International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) which coordinates the project.

The Play Hubs are inclusive spaces where children and families from different backgrounds are encouraged to play and learn: while children are allowed to borrow toys, information about childrearing, health, early learning and development is passed on informally to (grand)parents.

“I have never felt so welcomed and respected before”, said Ana Dirdova, Roma mother of six and Play Hub participant in Spišský Hrhov, Slovakia.

The project has created eight Play Hubs for young children in seven EU countries: one in Belgium, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and two in Italy.

Since their opening in early 2018, the Play Hubs have been applauded by children, families and public authorities.

The results in 2018 (January-September)

• About 3200 children have participated to the Play Hub activities. An estimated 35% of children were from Roma origin.
• About 80 workshops and info-sessions were held for Roma and non-Roma adults: including parenting support, intergenerational activities, hand-craft and toy-making workshops, info-sessions for parents in cooperation with other community services.
• Roughly 25% of workshop leaders were Roma.

Read more about TOY for Inclusion here.