Children walking to school along a dirt road in rural East Africa.

What we do

Where we work

Rural Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi, school by school.

Playful education breaks the cycle of poverty

Children in the rural areas of Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia face serious challenges every day: sexual and domestic violence, child labour, contagious diseases, forced marriage, teenage pregnancy and gender inequality. Many of them never go to school, or leave it early.

Education is what breaks the generational cycle of poverty and gender inequality. Join for Joy works in exactly these areas to improve the lives of vulnerable children, by stimulating quality education, gender equality, physical health and social resilience through play.

Map of East Africa showing Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi.
Education is the best weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
A Join for Joy staff member with a group of schoolchildren in Zambia.

Join for Joy Zambia

Since 2022 Join for Joy Zambia runs the programme from its own local office in Lusaka. Being on the ground means shorter lines to the schools we work with and to the ministries that decide what happens in them.

Partner organisations

For the coordination of the programme we work closely with three local organisations. Each was chosen for its affinity with sport and play for child development and its roots in the local community. Alongside our programme, our partners work on water supply, food and agriculture, poverty relief and health care.

Give a child the joy of learning

A gift, big or small, brings play into a child’s school day.