Welcome to the Thriving Through Play (TTP) Community of Practice!

A collaborative initiative to strengthen play-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in conflict-affected settings

The Thriving Through Play (TTP) Community of Practice (CoP) brings together five organizations delivering play-based MHPSS programming for children in conflict-affected settings. Supported by the LEGO Foundation and facilitated by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), the CoP is designed to generate and share evidence on what works, build partners' capacity for monitoring and learning, and advocate for stronger policy support for play-based MHPSS.

The initiative responds to a growing body of evidence showing that adverse childhood experiences can undermine children's social-emotional development, mental health, and ability to learn and regulate emotions. Play-based interventions offer a promising pathway for building resilience among children affected by adversity. TTP builds on the LEGO Foundation's longstanding commitment to supporting children's growth and well-being through play, and on partners' consistent call for collaborative spaces where learning is not impeded by competition for funding.

To learn more, please keep reading or contact us at ttp@poverty-action.org.

IPA facilitates learning, evidence use, and provides MEL support across partners

Innovations for Poverty Action serves as the learning partner for the TTP CoP. In this role, IPA does not implement programming directly, but facilitates learning, reflection, and evidence use across partners to support adaptive decision-making and strengthen practice. IPA brings technical expertise from its Right-Fit Evidence Unit, which supports organizations to design monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems that generate actionable insights. This work is complemented by sector specialists in Education and Peace & Recovery, as well as IPA’s country office presence, which enables close collaboration with implementing partners and deep engagement with local contexts. IPA's Right-Fit Evidence Unit draws on prior experience facilitating communities of practice and working with the LEGO Foundation on play-based education initiatives in refugee settings (see more examples of our learning partnerships).

Learning Partner	Supported by the LEGO Foundation

Photos: Staff from Right to Play (left) and AMREF (right) participating in the Thriving Through Play Community of Practice kick-off convening, discussing shared learning questions facilitated by IPA's Right-Fit Evidence Unit. © 2025 Amélie Loro

Five partners implement and learn from play-based programming across Africa and the Middle East 

TTP cohort members implement programs integrating play into existing approaches, working through networks of local, national, and global organizations to create impact at scale. The five implementing partners are:

	Amna partners with 10 local organizations across Lebanon to deliver Baytna, a trauma- and identity-informed play-based program that supports children and caregivers to heal, build resilience, and reduce the physical and psychological effects of conflict and displacement.
	Amref implements the Tucheze Tustawi Project to support children aged 0–3 in refugee and host communities in Turkana and Nairobi. The program integrates play-based psychosocial support into primary healthcare systems and promotes play-based practices through community approaches with caregivers and early childhood centers.
	Global Fund for Children supports 20 community-based organizations in Kenya and Uganda that promote MHPSS for children in refugee and host communities, helping them build resilience, well-being, and opportunities to thrive.
	Right to Play implements a play-based psychosocial support program that partners with parent educators, early childhood centers, and primary schools to strengthen the capacity of caregivers and educators to support children's well-being and prepare families for the transition from pre-primary to primary school in refugee and host communities in West Nile, Uganda.
	War Child Alliance scales up proven play-based MHPSS program TeamUp, working through networks of global organizations and their local partners to create impact at scale.

Three workstreams guide shared learning toward actionable, field-ready evidence
 

The Community of Practice is structured around a theory of change with three interconnected workstreams: producing and sharing actionable knowledge with implementing partners inside and outside the CoP; supporting partners to strengthen their MEL systems; and advocating for play-based MHPSS with donors and policymakers. These workstreams are guided by a shared learning agenda developed collaboratively with partners, which addresses critical knowledge gaps in the field while generating practical insights that implementers can use to strengthen and adapt their programs.

This webpage will continue to evolve as the CoP learns together. Over the next two years, IPA and partners will develop and share resources, practical strategies, and tested tools emerging from their collective work, alongside updates from conferences and public events. Whether you are an implementer or a funder, this Community of Practice offers a platform for accessing actionable evidence to strengthen play-based programs in conflict-affected settings.