BRAC and Denmark-based LEGO Foundation have launched a five-year initiative targeting 2,20,000 children in Rohingya camps and vulnerable host communities in Cox’s Bazar through play-based learning and psychosocial support programmes.
The initiative, based on BRAC’s Humanitarian Play Lab model, aims to create safe and development-friendly learning environments for children aged between zero and 18 years, BRAC said in a press release.
The programme comes as more than half of the over one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar are children, while an estimated 40,909 children were born in the camps in 2024 alone, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data cited at the event.
The project will focus on responsive caregiving, play-based learning, transition support for formal education, adolescent engagement activities and integrated mental health support.
The initiative was formally launched at a programme titled “Building Childhood, Preparing for the Future” at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday.
The event was organised by BRAC’s Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme.
Government officials, humanitarian workers, development partners and community representatives attended the programme aimed at strengthening coordination among education, child protection, health and nutrition sectors.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman attended the programme as chief guest.
“The most important aspect of this initiative is that BRAC is working with a focus on children’s holistic development. We can all collectively become part of this initiative,” he said.
BRAC Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme and BRAC Health Programme Senior Director Md Akramul Islam delivered the welcome speech, while BRAC HCMP Associate Director and Officer in Charge Rezaul Karim gave the closing remarks.
The programme was moderated by BRAC HCMP Health, Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Sector Programme Manager Ishat Nabila.
Among others, BRAC Education, Migration and Skills Development Programme Director Safi Rahman Khan, BRAC Health Programme Associate Director Shayla Islam, Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon Mohammad Saber, Camp-in-Charge Gazi Shariful Hasan of Camp 8 East, Camp-in-Charge Md Minhajul Islam of Camp 18 and Camp-in-Charge Mohammad Abdur Rouf of Camps 3 and 5 also spoke at the event.
A programme overview was presented by BRAC HCMP Health, Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Programme Coordinator S M Hasanuzzaman and BRAC University BRAC Institute of Educational Development Programme Head Syeda Sazia Zaman.
The presentation cited World Health Organization and UNICEF findings showing that nearly 80 per cent of brain development occurs within the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
The organisations’ “Nurturing Care Framework” identifies five key elements for early childhood development: good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, safety and opportunities for early learning.
According to the presentation, ensuring those components would help at least 70 per cent of children under the project achieve age-appropriate developmental milestones.
BRAC has been implementing the Humanitarian Play Lab model in Cox’s Bazar since 2018 and developed a strong operational framework over six years, organisers said.
The new partnership aims to expand the programme’s reach and integrate play-based learning methods into pre-primary and primary education in camps and host communities.
The initiative will be implemented in 15 Rohingya camps and eight upazilas in Cox’s Bazar district.
Organisers said BRAC operated nearly 60,000 schools in Bangladesh between 1990 and 2000 as part of its non-formal education programme.
The BRAC Play Lab model is currently operating in Bangladesh, Uganda and Tanzania.
