Step into Hennock's imagination: The importance of play

Home
Blogs
Step into Hennock's imagination: The importance of play

Step into Hennock's imagination: The importance of play

When I run it feels like I’m number one.

Like any five-year-old child, Hennock from Ethiopia loves to play.

On Children's Day, we highlight the importance of play. Because not only is playing an essential part of growing up, it is scientifically proven to help the brain and development of children.

Through play, children experience fun, joy, and success. They can process and manage emotions, build social skills, learn to share, discover, explore and get creative.

However, not all children like Hennock have the opportunity to enjoy the fundamental right to play. Millions of children in Ethiopia are missing out on an early childhood education – a place where they can safely enjoy playtime and stimulation. And it’s these children who are more likely to be stuck in poverty for the rest of their lives. However, our work in Ethiopia is helping to end this.

Our child sponsors help us to fund projects that enable children like Hennock to receive a quality education and enjoy the time to be a child again.

Hennock laughs with his friend in a Plan International supported school

Despite living in a single room with his family, Hennock is one of few children in Ethiopia who have access to a quality early learning centre. He goes to a Plan International supported nursery where there are trained teachers, proper education materials and other children to make friends and interact with.

When you sponsor a child, you’re not just helping to improve the life of one child, you're supporting the entire community to lift themselves out of poverty. Our projects vary from providing children with an education, to providing children and families with clean water and sanitation facilities, and helping communities adapt to emergencies and disasters. This year, Ethiopia has struggled with two years of failed rains due to the El Nino – making it even more difficult for farmers who rely on their crops to feed their community and women and children responsible for walking miles to collect water for their households.