P.E.R. Play Explore Research project in Nairobi, Kenya

A new edition of P.E.R. - Play Explore Research, the project of the Reggio Children Foundation - Loris Malaguzzi Centre ETS with The LEGO Foundation, was held in Nairobi a few days ago.

The fifth meeting was dedicated to the theme ‘Strengthening communities: resilient pillars for quality education’ with the aim of promoting an open and participatory discussion on 0-8 years education policies.

Compared to previous meetings, from Reggio Emilia to Brazil, the United States and South Africa, the specific focus of P.E.R. Kenya was on policy and regulatory frameworks for childhood education. Together with the staff of Fondazione Reggio Children, the three-day event included meetings with government policy makers, representatives of non-governmental organisations and local associations. Visits were made to primary and pre-schools in the slums of Kariobangi and Korogocho, concluding with a conference-action to promote and foster quality education.

"The P.E.R. project continues to be a precious opportunity to compare and get to know the educational realities of the world", says Cristian Fabbi, Director General of Fondazione Reggio Children, chaired by Francesco Profumo. "Where there is extreme poverty, we have seen educational realities of great quality, which, even with modest means, manage to promote the development of childhood and guarantee support in the essential necessities of life for girls and boys. Places where schools are truly a pillar of life and community. Moreover, the importance that these contexts attach to the education of girls and boys as a pathway out of fragile and critical conditions is becoming increasingly evident. An awareness that translates into parental participation and important expectations with respect to educational quality. Carla Rinaldi's reflection that “education can really change the world” comes to mind.

Meeting with the virtuous experiences of schools in the slums

Among the various non-governmental organisations involved in education, Fondazione Reggio Children met with two Italian-African organisations working in the slums of Nairobi.

The first day saw a visit to the Grapesyard school, Baby Care in Korogocho and Claire's school in Dandora together with the Alice for Children project by Twins International Onlus. Twins International Onlus is an Italian non-profit association that has been working in Kenya since 2006 with the aim of giving children the chance to escape from the degradation and extreme poverty of the slums of Nairobi.

The following day, the Reggio Children Foundation visited the Hands of Love community school, supported by the Italian Directly Onlus, in the Kariobangi slum. Director Sami Maina presented the reality, the classes and the teachers. There was also an opportunity to meet a large group of parents and to hold a workshop entitled “Moving bodies, moving boundaries” all together, parents, educators, teachers and children, concluding with a moment of sharing. Hands of Love Educational Centre was established in 2008 to offer free of charge favourable conditions for the education and personal growth of disadvantaged children in the area, helping them to develop their potential and preparing them in the best possible way for further education.

The meetings with educational experiences were precious moments of mutual knowledge, listening and exchange. Schools that concretely interpret the role of a fundamental garrison for girls, children and families, places of care and participation in which education becomes a tool of community and resilience, even in the most difficult contexts.

A pathway to quality education and sustainable communities

The conference-action day was dedicated to meeting with various stakeholders: Council of Governors Nairobi Kenya, County Government of Machakos Kenya, Action for Children in Conflict, Ethiopian Ministry of Education, Alice for Children, Amani, Faulu Productions, Hands of love - Directly onlus, Koinonia Community, National Council for Children's Services Kenya, One Million Teachers, Saint Paul's University, Save the Children Ethiopia, ZIZI Afrique.

With these stakeholders, the director and staff of Fondazione Reggio Children worked to share practices and visions for building inclusive and sustainable educational communities. The meeting was oriented and concluded with the goal of creating a shared pathway on sustainable educating communities, a collective effort to define the conditions necessary to ensure quality educational services for girls and boys from 0 to 8 years old.

Next stops Vietnam and Denmark

The next stops of the P.E.R. Play Explore Research project by Fondazione Reggio Children and The LEGO Foundation, which will end at the end of the year, will be in Vietnam and Denmark in Billund, home of the LEGO Group. The PER project was created to promote the relationship between play and learning in educational communities. It envisages four areas of intervention: meeting educational communities around the world with conference-actions, the creation of a new research center, identified in the Caffarri in Reggio, the publication of research and a monitoring action.