The secret sauce to our success is certainly our communities! We can’t exist without partnerships, supporters like you, and communities who trust us. Local government, village leadership, partner organisations and donors are integral to our work.
TRAINED
40 Mamapreneurs
UPLIFTED
728 Children
PROVIDED
126 COVID19 Play Packs
IMPACTED
6 Communities
Learn More about how YOU can be the changemaker and transform lives by uplifting communities through the power of play to build a brighter Botswana.
When I was little, I loved exploring on my bike and reading… I was always on some kind of adventure – whether outdoors in real life or in my imagination.
I love Botswana because our country prioritises communities and conservation – two of my most important values. We have nearly 40% of our country safeguarded as ‘Protected Land’ which means there’s an abundance of pristine wilderness (and lots of elephants!) for even more adventures.
As a child, I loved exploring the outdoors and playing sports. My fondest memories are of the moments where I could bring the two together playing cricket in the bush on one of our many camping trips.
I fell in love with Botswana as a child for its nature and wildlife. As I’ve grown and discovered more of my country, my love for Botswana grows with its culture, communities and endless opportunities for adventure.
When I was young, I loved fantasy play and pretending to be a mum to my younger sibling and cousins. I loved taking care of them and teaching them through play. I also enjoyed a lot of messy play.
I love Botswana for its kind and friendly people, for nature and, for its calmness. One can’t just help but feel at home.
My favourite game to play when I was little was a game with wool called malepa.
I love Botswana because though we are a small landlocked country, there is so much it has to offer and so much to learn as one travels across the different communities, from untold history to our rich culture which is found in our nutritious food, indigenous plants, landscapes, the people and the different languages spoken across the country!
When I was young, I loved creative play. I remember moulding some pots with clay soil and also I liked playing a pretend game called matlwane and also diketo.
I love Botswana because it’s a peaceful country. There’s so much to explore like wildlife in the Okavango Delta. I love this country because this is where I was born and I am proud to be Motswana.
I have very fond memories of my childhood and adored imaginative and creative play. I could spend hours role-playing with my sister and other kids in our neighborhood.
I love Botswana for its natural beauty and friendly people. I am excited to continue exploring the country and all it offers.
Since I was younger, I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact in our communities and working with Learn To Play makes that dream come true.
When I was little, I loved exploring and playing “Diketo”, a fun traditional Setswana game that encourages numeracy/counting skills. I enjoyed playing it alone most of the time.
I love my Botswana, ke ipela ka wena!
When I was little, I loved exploring on my bike and reading… I was always on some kind of adventure – whether outdoors in real life or in my imagination.
I love Botswana because our country prioritises communities and conservation – two of my most important values. We have nearly 40% of our country safeguarded as ‘Protected Land’ which means there’s an abundance of pristine wilderness (and lots of elephants!) for even more adventures.
My favourite game to play when I was little was a game with wool called malepa.
I love Botswana because though we are a small landlocked country, there is so much it has to offer and so much to learn as one travels across the different communities, from untold history to our rich culture which is found in our nutritious food, indigenous plants, landscapes, the people and the different languages spoken across the country!
When I was young, I loved fantasy play and pretending to be a mum to my younger sibling and cousins. I loved taking care of them and teaching them through play. I also enjoyed a lot of messy play.
I love Botswana for its kind and friendly people, for nature and, for its calmness. One can’t just help but feel at home.
Since I was younger, I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact in our communities and working with Learn To Play makes that dream come true.
When I was little, I loved exploring and playing “Diketo”, a fun traditional Setswana game that encourages numeracy/counting skills. I enjoyed playing it alone most of the time.
I love my Botswana, ke ipela ka wena!
When I was young, I loved creative play. I remember moulding some pots with clay soil and also I liked playing a pretend game called matlwane and also diketo.
I love Botswana because it’s a peaceful country. There’s so much to explore like wildlife in the Okavango Delta. I love this country because this is where I was born and I am proud to be Motswana.
QUEEN OF THE CASTLE (BOARD CHAIRPERSON)
Karen Clune brings nearly 20 years of global development experience to Learn to Play. Most recently, Karen was the Innovation Team Lead within the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Global Health Bureau. She identified and developed initiatives, partnerships, and activities to catalyze and accelerate ground-breaking innovations for global health.
LADY GOLDFINGER
Evgeniya had always aspired to become an astronaut, but whilst at University found another passion in finance and dreamt of becoming the Minister of Finance of Bulgaria, where she is originally from.
Since then, she has spent 16 years in finance and auditing and is currently a partner at Deloitte & Touché Botswana.
Evgeniya spends her “free time” giving back to our planet and community. As a family, they make a conscious effort to recycle, reuse, try hard to reduce our consumption, and achieve sustainable purchasing habits.
CROWN PRINCESS
I am a general practitioner currently in private practice. I have been practicing medicine for about 15 years. I started my career in the public sector at Princess Marina Hospital and Gaborone and Tlokweng District Health Management Teams. I have done a lot of healthcare outreach over the years and it was during these outreach visits that I realized how much basic health education was lacking in most of these rural communities.
PLAY POET
I am is passionate about learning and discovering new ways to help make the environment and people around her thrive. Born and raised in Botswana, I am, by nature, a curious person who is always eager to grow and learn more and adventure to try new things. I love to travel, literature, my family, and baking up a storm.
I am a Public Relations professional and currently manage Hotwire Public Relations Consultancy. I hold a BA (Hons) English Language and Literature, MA English Literature text and Transmission, and an Associateship of King’s College London (AKC), (King’s College London, UK). I am the only Accredited Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR) (UK) in Botswana and love investing more in growing in this industry that I love.
DUCHESS
My technical background is in electrical engineering and having previously worked for a private mining company at operations at Jwaneng, in maintenance and projects for several years, I have now been currently working for an international development and financing institution based in Gaborone for some years. My role primarily focuses on implementing tasks along the Bank’s project management cycle and supporting strategy formulation, developing and maintaining relations with clients and partners, and monitoring the ongoing portfolio.
DUCHESS
With 20 years of experience in a competitive environment, Lauren works in the diamond mining industry of Botswana. She found a unique opportunity that focuses on analyzing data. Being detail-oriented, drew to Lauren’s strengths. Having a strong technical background to analyze complex processes helped in developing, innovative robust solutions to challenges in reporting structures in this “sparkly” industry, which is not just all about the glitz and glamour.
EMPRESS OF PLAY (FOUNDER & CEO)
Founder of Learn To Play, Priyanka Handa Ram was born and raised in Botswana and has used her 10 years of experience doing a multitude of social enterprise projects to create a more literate, happy, and healthy childhood for the clients she works with.
Priyanka is passionate about Play, Nature, and Literacy and incorporates these in her work as well as in her role as a published children’s author; writing stories about adventure, virtues, and conservation.
Early Childhood and Play-based literacy are Priyanka’s primary focus and she is pioneering programmes and organizations in Botswana to advocate for young children to be nurtured, educated, and protected
The Learn To Play approach involves strong and positive relationships with the local community to revolutionise play, preserve culture and promote wellbeing. We’re a proud Brand Botswana company and bear the #pushaBW pridemark for all our locally made products and services. We know our clients and beneficiaries love Botswana’s wildlife so conservation and nature are key elements in our curriculum, resources and partnerships.
As a team, we feel sheer optimism when working with communities and families; there is power in our play framework and there’s certainly an element of magic when working with children in the African outdoors… these ingredients catalyse our solutions into lasting impact.
Some of our partners that we value in helping us achieve this magic:
The Learn To Play approach involves strong and positive relationships with the local community to revolutionise play, preserve culture and promote wellbeing. We’re a proud Brand Botswana company and bear the #pushaBW pridemark for all our locally made products and services. We know our clients and beneficiaries love Botswana’s wildlife so conservation and nature are key elements in our curriculum, resources and partnerships.
As a team, we feel sheer optimism when working with communities and families; there is power in our play framework and there’s certainly an element of magic when working with children in the African outdoors… these ingredients catalyse our solutions into lasting impact.
Some of our partners that we value in helping us achieve this magic: