About us
Our story
Playful education builds the next generation.
How it started: a dream at the kitchen counter
It is May 2010. Five friends talk about their youth. During their childhood, they were lucky enough to participate in summer sports camps, have PE lessons at school three times a week, and participate in many sports activities after school. They realized how much fun it had brought them, how much it had taught them, and how privileged that position was.
Together they shared a drive to give children in developing countries the same opportunity to play sports, have fun and learn playfully. That dream became a reality in 2011 when the now registered organization “Join for Joy” organized the first sports camps for children in rural Kenya. These children dealt with enormous challenges daily during their anything but carefree childhood.
The year 2011 was characterized by extremes. One of the five friends, Michiel Löwenberg, was diagnosed with melanoma. The loss of Michiel overshadowed the year that followed. With his dedicated energy, candid humor, and cheerful character, he made an indispensable contribution to the team and the shared dream. Michiel is still the inspiring force behind the program.
Today, Join for Joy, as an international organization, is committed to making hundreds of thousands of children playfully resilient every day, positively influencing their lives and making them believe in themselves.
“I want to help children develop their capacities, to support them in actively participating in creating their future.”
Michiel Löwenberg, in memoriam
A world in which…
… every child goes to school, can have fun with an open mind, is given equal opportunities, and can work on their physical and mental health. That is the vision of Join for Joy. In this way, all children can develop into healthy and resilient children with a positive perspective on the future.
Unfortunately, the socio-economic conditions in rural East Africa mean that the reality is different for 40% of the children. They do not, or hardly, go to school. They work in the household or on the land or care for their younger brothers and sisters. These children face challenges such as extreme poverty, gender inequality, (sexual) violence, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Our mission
We commit to realizing our vision through the Join for Joy program daily. Our mission is to encourage children to come (back) to school, where they can play sports and play in a safe environment, discover and develop their talents, work on their resilience and health and playfully learn about social issues.
Join for Joy is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- 3 Good health and well-being
- 4 Quality education
- 5 Gender equality
- 17 Partnerships for the goals