HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein is a Member of the International Board
of Directors of Right To Play, a humanitarian organization that utilizes sport
and play programs to encourage the healthy physical, social and emotional
development of the world’s most disadvantaged children.
Right To Play
Philosophy
Right To Play is committed to improving the lives of these children and to
strengthening their communities by translating the best values of sport into
opportunities to promote development, health and peace.
Opportunities to play are scarce for children affected by disease and poverty,
and those who are marginalized. This scarcity must be addressed because play
occupies and strengthens both mind and body. Play gives children the opportunity
to be children. And without that opportunity, children -- and communities --
cannot thrive.
Right To Play is committed to every child’s right to play and takes an active
role in research and policy development in this area. Their aim is to engage
leaders on all sides of development, sport, business and media to ensure every
child benefits from the positive power of sport and play.
The Power of Sport
Sport has a natural and universal power to attract, inspire, motivate
and engage. Sport is everywhere. And everywhere that it is, sport demonstrates
its capacity to move people emotionally and physically. Right To Play's programs
were developed around the simple premise that we could translate this love of
sport into an opportunity to promote health and well-being throughout the world.
Well designed sport and play programs help guide children on a positive path to
healthy development. In addition to the physical benefits, sport and play
programs enhance holistic development, help foster resilience, create a
meaningful connection to adults. Sport and play also teach important values and
life skills including leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, conflict
resolution, discipline, respect and fair play.
Scope of Work
Right To Play engages and trains international and local volunteers who
work with communities to implement two main programs, SportWorks and SportHealth.
The focus of SportWorks is child and community development. SportHealth
leverages the convening and influencing power of sport to provide health
education and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours. Specifically, SportHealth
teaches the importance of vaccinations, HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria prevention.
Right To Play is mainly supported by an international team of Olympic and
professional athletes who generously donate their time to give back through
sport. The support of these athletes inspires children and helps raise awareness
of the humanitarian potential of sport at both the local and international
levels. Led by four-time Olympic gold medalist, and Right To Play President and
CEO Johann Olav Koss, Roght To Play athlete ambassadors include Wayne Gretzky,
Dikembe Mutombo, Anni Friesinger, Summer Sanders, Haile Gebrselassie, Silken
Laumann, Tegla Loroupe, Ian Thorpe and more.
Right To Play Programs are designed and implemented in cooperation with world
leading humanitarian organizations, namely: Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, UNICEF, UNESCO, World Health Organization, Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunization, the Vaccine Fund, the CORE Initiative, CARE
International, the American Red Cross, International Labour Organization, the
Global Measles Initiative, Lutheran World Federation (Kenya), INSAN Foundation
(Pakistan), EMIMA (Tanzania).
Right To Play’s international headquarters is located in Toronto, Canada with
national offices in the USA, Norway, the Netherlands, Greece and Switzerland.
Their programs are currently implemented in Angola, Azerbaijan, Benin, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Guinea, Middle East, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Palestinian
Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zamb
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