India

Introduction | Background | Partners | News

In the past eight years, Play for Peace - India has partnered with many organizations to improve the quality of life for children in communities ranging from city slums to rural areas.

Play for Peace In India

In the year 2000, Play for Peace began working in the southern city of Hyderabad within the state of Andhra Pradesh. Play for Peace - India partnered there with the Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA), a consortium of 200 volunteer community action agencies. Hyderabad had suffered greatly from communal riots, and Play for Peace helped to create harmony and community empowerment free from any affiliations with religious or political parties.

In February of 2002, more communal riots broke out in the state of Guajarat. Play for Peace participated in projects to meet the educational and emotional needs of children who were refugees from the violence. Through the use of cooperative play and lessons promoting an attitude of acceptance toward all religions, those children learned to trust again.

After the December 2004 tsunami struck the coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing approximately 18,000 and displacing over 600,000 people in India, Play for Peace worked on special projects to help the youth within those communities affected by the disaster. Volunteers, for example, were trained in Play Therapy at relief camps. On islands far from main land India, where the worst devastation occurred, youth were trained to work with children in newly established activity centers.

During 2007, Play for Peace - India has partnered with organizations such as: Dream a Dream, World Vision, Child Line, Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam Child Rights and Shavishav.