Irerero – Play Group
During weekdays, Twiga dukina runs an Irerero – Play group for +/- 20 children aged between 2,5 and 4,5 years. Those children come from families living around the center and coming from poor families. They meet 3 morning per week.
The main purpose of the Irerero is that the children develop holistically through a play-based approach and to prepare them for primary school.
This means that the biggest part of the day children play freely during outdoor play or corner play. Through free play they develop social and emotional skills, and prepare their body and brain for academic learning.
In our Irerero we do not actively teach letters and numbers, but we believe that children will learn them when they are ready for it!
Playful Foundational Learning
During weekdays, Twiga dukina runs an additional support Program: ‘Playful Foundational Learning’. This program is for selected children from P2 and P3 from a neighbouring school. These children face difficulties in reading and writing. Many of them also had challenges with activities, such as: rope skipping, bouncing with a ball with right and left hand, cross walks, symmetric drawing, etc.
Through all kinds of playful and sporting activities, the program is focusing on brain stimulation and holistic brain development (including collaboration between the left & right brain hemisphere and development of Executive Functions), which will have a positive impact on academic skills of these children.
Sport & Games
Every Saturday ± 200 children and ± 20 volunteer coaches gather together at the playground in Shangi.
They are engaged in all kinds of activities:
- Football
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Handball
- Karate
- Drawing
- Traditional Dance
- Reading and playing games
- Itetero: a play group for the youngest children < P1
These activities have been successful to date.
It is important to note that previously there were no such activities / clubs for the children in this village. We now see improvements in their sport abilities (gross motor skills, ball skills, etc.), as well as in their concentration, focus and ability to follow instructions. The intention is that these activities will be sustainable and the improvements will be seen in all areas of children’s lives.
Playful Adult Literacy
Three times a week, the center is open for youth (age 18+) and adults to learn English, or how to read in their mother tongue Kinyarwanda. They can also develop computer skills, play a game or make a puzzle.
