Playful education builds the next generation
Using the power of play, Join for Joy helps children in East Africa grow up healthy and confident, ready to shape their own future.
Why play matters
Children learn best when they play. It builds their confidence, keeps them healthy and teaches them to work together.
In schools with few resources, play is a powerful teaching tool. It costs little and reaches every child. That is where we start.
The impact of play
Our 2025 results. Behind every number is a child who now goes to school and likes being there.
- 34,000 children reached
- 144 teachers trained
- +14% more children enrolled
- -24% fewer children drop out
- 500+ children with a disability included
Figures from our 2025 annual report.
What we do
One programme, built around play. These three strands run through the same schools, the same teachers and the same school day.
Lessons children look forward to
We turn everyday lessons into games, so children stay in school and enjoy learning. Local teachers run those lessons and keep running them after our programme ends. Within them we give extra support to children with a disability and to girls, who are usually the first to be left out.
Every child joins in
A game has room for everyone, which makes it the easiest way to bring a child in from the sidelines. Teachers learn to adapt a game so a child who cannot see, hear or walk still plays, and classmates grow up treating that as normal.
A period is no reason to stay home
Girls learn about their bodies and receive a reusable menstrual cup that lasts up to ten years, so their period no longer keeps them out of school. Lessons for parents and boys make the subject easier to talk about.
See what your gift does
Move the slider to see what an amount adds up to in the schools we work with.
Your gift of €25
- 1 children a full school year in our play programme
- or 2 menstrual cups, including the lessons that go with them
In 2025 we spent €484,824 on the programme and reached 34,444 children, so a school year works out at about €15 a child. Gifts are not earmarked, so every gift supports the full programme.
Where we work
We work in four rural districts in Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya. Each dot is a district where teachers are trained and schools join the programme.
Dots mark programme districts, not individual schools.
Good to know
The questions people ask us most.
Where does my donation go?
Your gift is not earmarked. It funds one programme in Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya: playful lessons, teacher training, play materials and menstrual health education. Of every euro we spent in 2025, 81 cents went straight to that programme.
Is Join for Joy a registered charity?
Yes. We are an ANBI-registered Dutch foundation and we hold the CBF seal for recognised charities.
Can I stop a monthly donation?
Yes, at any time. Send us a message and we stop your monthly gift right away.
Do you work with local teachers?
We do. Local teachers run every programme, so the work continues after we leave.
How do you keep children safe?
We follow a strict safeguarding policy. The safety of every child comes first.
Can my company or school support you?
Yes. Start a campaign or become a partner. Get in touch and we help you set it up.
Follow the joy
Stories, smiles and news from the schools we work with.
