The Gift of Toys Transforms Potomane Primary’s Child Friendly Space into a Place of Joy, Learning, and Healing

By: Lerato Brown, Communications and Marketing Manager, Lesotho

At Potomane Primary School in the remote Mokotjomela Area Programme of Quthing district, childhood is being reimagined. Once a quiet, resource-starved school of 35 students and four dedicated teachers, it now stands as a Child Friendly Space of play, learning, and protection’ thanks to World Vision’s Gift-In-Kind (GIK) and child protection interventions.

For years, children here created toys out of whatever they could find; plastic bags twisted into balls, scraps of cloth tied together for skipping ropes, hopscotch drawn on bare ground. While play was inventive, it was limited: children had few chances to develop problem-solving skills, creativity, or social confidence, and improvised toys sometimes posed safety risks. For those carrying trauma or facing vulnerability, these traditional games offered little opportunity for learning, emotional expression, or healing.

This was also a community grappling with serious child protection concerns. Mokotjomela has long been a hotspot for child marriage, exploitation, abuse, neglect, school dropouts, early pregnancy, and child labour; issues that strip children of their rights, safety, and dignity. As part of its broader child protection programming in the Mokotjomela Area Programme, World Vision has been implementing interventions to safeguard children, create safe and nurturing environments, and empower them to thrive despite the multiple risks they face.

In 2022, these efforts took a transformative step forward when World Vision through Gift -In- Kind programming refurbished two classrooms at Potomane Primary. One was painted and decorated into a Child Friendly Space (CFS); a safe haven where children could feel free, play, and open up. The other was transformed into a small library stocked with books and learning materials. By 2025, the two rooms had been furnished with 32 desks, turning them into true child friendly learning centers.

But in July 2025, something even more profound happened. The CFS came alive with toys. The new additions: ranging from big ‘Ice Cream Carts and Sweet Girl Salon stations to Needle Point sets, board games, and Big Cheese cardboard building kits brought joy, creativity, learning and recovery into children’s daily experience.

“Before World Vision gave us toys to play with, we used to make our own toys with plastics and cloths to make plastic balls, skipping rope, and draw hopscotch on the ground,” says 15-year-old Sephenathe. “We thank World Vision for the toys because there were some kids who didn’t want to play those games, and since the toys came, we all play together and build friendships with each other.”

Through games like ‘The Big Cheese 3D Cardboard Restaurant ‘children are discovering new ways to think, create, and collaborate. Sephenathe shares proudly, ‘It has taught us how to build, and now we can create 3D shapes and explore math concepts while playing.’ The toys are not only fun to play with but are nurturing critical thinking, teamwork, and confidence in every child who engages with them.

“We thank World Vision for the toys because there were some kids who didn’t want to play those games, and since the toys came, we all play together and build friendships with each other.”- Sephenathe, 15 years

For 12-year-old Mantsebeng, the board game Krok Chock has become both fun and a tool for learning. “It helps me to learn English, it has jokes that I love to read and that is very refreshing for my mind. Krok Chock also teaches how to read because we have to read instructions on the card to understand what to do next.”

Teachers have been equally struck by the transformation. “The toys are very helpful to the children and I have observed improved vocabulary, concentration, and behaviour in the students since they started engaging with the toys,” says teacher Masilase. “There are children in the school who are very shy and not expressive or outgoing. These toys are going to help them become more expressive, engage with other children, and enhance their speech and creativity.”

“The toys are very helpful to the children, and I have observed improved vocabulary, concentration, and behaviour in the students since they started engaging with the toys,” - Masilase, Teacher

For children who have experienced hardship, the CFS has become a space of restoration. Needle Point, for example, builds focus and patience, while collaborative games draw children out of isolation. What begins as play gently heals wounds that words alone may not have been able reach.

Ten-year-old Likeleli has found more than joy in her toy of choice, the Sweet Girl Salon. “It shows me how to wash hair and make myself beautiful. It teaches me what is needed in a salon and it inspires me to have my own salon business when I grow up.” For her, play has sparked dreams of a future beyond the present.

'Masophia, the Community Development Facilitator, sees the bigger picture: “It brings me so much joy when I distribute Gift-In-Kind to children because every time I bring the gifts, the children are so happy and often tell me that they see that World Vision cares for them. The children truly love these gifts and I love how the gifts are changing their lives.”

At Potomane Primary, the Child Friendly Space is no longer just a place children go to learn about child protection issues, it is a safe refuge where children recover their voices, find friendship, and unlock potential. The toys have become the tools of healing, seeds of creativity, and bridges of connection.

The children truly love these gifts and I love how the gifts are changing their lives.”- 'Masophia, World Vision Community Development Facilitator

Here, children who once improvised play with scraps are now imagining futures as builders, teachers, and entrepreneurs. And in their laughter and learning, one can see the quiet miracle of childhood restored.