Story perspectives

LEGO Foundation Gives $97M for Play Learning, Reaches 5M Kids

5/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

LEGO Foundation pledged $97 million to International Rescue Committee to expand play-based learning.
Five-year partnership will reach 5 million children in East Africa and the Middle East.
PlayMatters trains teachers of 3-to-12-year-olds to use playful learning, cutting absenteeism.
Radio and digital lessons provide emotion-naming content to remote classrooms, including flood-affected South Sudan.
The partnership is cited as a donor model after President Donald Trump’s administration cut aid, hindering Ebola response in Congo.

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Story summary

LEGO Foundation pledged $97 million to International Rescue Committee to expand play-based learning.
Five-year partnership will reach 5 million children in East Africa and the Middle East.
PlayMatters trains teachers of 3-to-12-year-olds to use playful learning, cutting absenteeism.
Radio and digital lessons provide emotion-naming content to remote classrooms, including flood-affected South Sudan.
The partnership is cited as a donor model after President Donald Trump’s administration cut aid, hindering Ebola response in Congo.