At the event. Photo: WWO

This is the fourth WWO toy library established in this region, among 11 WWO toy libraries across Vietnam. The new toy library will serve at least 60 children living with disabilities or with special needs on a dayly basis, bringing the total number of children having access to WWO toy libraries to 800. This is an exciting event for all stakeholders in Can Tho city, especially for functional therapists, special education teachers and parents.

During the launching ceremony, the WWO Element of Play team performed a Music in Motion session with 15 children, bringing tears of joy and hope to parents and teachers.

Representatives from Can Tho authorities also joined the kids. Visitors also enjoyed going through the curation of educational, developmental toys, toy cards, operational standard procedures, and therapeutic equipment that make the WWO signature Element of Play curriculum a highly effective practice.

Prior to this day, the WWO team conducted a two-day training on How to manage a WWO Toy library and How an adult can support a child effectively at play time for better development. 30 participants including special education teachers, functional therapists, school staff and parents successfully completed the training. They are now very well aware of their roles in the child’s development milestones, and will apply scaffolding in Early Childhood Education and Early intervention.

Before this initiative from WWO, not many stakeholders believed that children with disability could be fully engaged in well-designed play time so that they make practical improvement in their challenging path to development.

However, evidence-based evaluation outcomes showed that more than 70% of children using our toy libraries made significant progresses in their social and communications skills. Further, 80% teachers and parents made impressive improvement in their interaction with the kids after 3 to 6 months at play with them. This model, therefore, will continue to scale up in Vietnam by the WWO strategic plan for the next five years.

Other countries where WWO has Element of Play programs, namely Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Haiti, and the US will also be fully committed to this intervention for the best integration possible of the children./.