BRAC, LEGO Foundation launch five-year child development programme in Cox's Bazar

BRAC, in partnership with the Denmark-based LEGO Foundation, has launched a five-year early childhood development initiative aimed at reaching 220,000 children from Rohingya camps and vulnerable host communities in Cox's Bazar.

The programme, built on BRAC's Humanitarian Play Lab (HPL) model, seeks to promote safe, joyful and development-friendly learning environments for children aged 0–18 through play-based learning, psychosocial support and early childhood development interventions.

The initiative was officially announced at an inauguration event titled "Nurturing Childhoods, Preparing for Tomorrow," held recently at a hotel in Cox's Bazar and organised by BRAC's Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme (HCMP).

The programme commenced on 21 May and will be implemented over the next five years across 15 Rohingya camps and eight upazilas in Cox's Bazar district.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman attended the event as chief guest.

Senior Director of BRAC HCMP and BRAC Health Programme Md Akramul Islam delivered the welcome remarks, while closing remarks were given by Associate Director and Officer-in-Charge of BRAC HCMP Rezaul Karim.

The session was moderated by Ishaat Nabila under the Health, Nutrition and Early Childhood Development sector of BRAC HCMP.

Officials and experts from BRAC and government institutions also participated in the event, including Cox's Bazar Civil Surgeon and Camp-in-Charges from various Rohingya camps.

Speaking at the event, RRRC Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said the initiative reflects a holistic approach to child development.

"What makes this initiative truly meaningful is how BRAC sees children as a whole. We all can be a part of this initiative, collectively," he said.

The programme will focus on five key components: responsive caregiving, play-based learning, transition to formal education, adolescent engagement, and integrated mental health support, and is fully funded by the LEGO Foundation.

Speakers noted that the initiative draws on global evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which shows that nearly 80 per cent of brain development occurs within the first 1,000 days of a child's life.

BRAC said the Humanitarian Play Lab model, first introduced in Cox's Bazar in 2018, has been refined through years of field experience and will now be scaled up under this expanded initiative