By Bunmi Yekini
Play Therapy is an important psychosocial support intervention that helps young children affected by displacement, illness, and stress to express their emotions, strengthen relationship with caregivers, and supports their developmental well-being as well as adherence to treatment.
By creating a supportive and stimulating environment, play therapy complements medical and nutritional care and can actually contribute to an improved recovery outcome for such young children.
Play is helping malnourished children in South Sudan’s Kule refugee camp recover emotionally as well as physically, aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Tuesday, as it expanded a programme integrating play therapy into paediatric healthcare.
MSF said children under five receiving treatment at the camp’s inpatient therapeutic feeding centre are taking part in structured play sessions designed to help them express emotions, rebuild confidence and reconnect with caregivers during recovery from severe illness and malnutrition.
“Play provides a safe space for children to explore their feelings, develop coping skills and build resilience,” said Kemho Kangbo, an MSF play therapy specialist. “It also helps strengthen their social and cognitive abilities, and it helps to create a stronger bond with their caregiver, which is fundamental to a child’s development.”
Children admitted to the centre are often severely malnourished and may become withdrawn or lethargic, making recovery more difficult, MSF said.
“One of the biggest challenges with children with severe malnutrition is that they lose their appetite, and become withdrawn or lethargic,” said Liya Jemal, MSF’s mental health activity manager in Kule. “Play-based activities create a stimulating and supportive environment where children can gradually re-engage with caregivers, health workers and other children.”
According to MSF, staff have observed that children who participate regularly in play sessions become more responsive, engaged and interested in feeding, supporting their overall recovery.
The programme also places caregivers at the centre of treatment. Parents and guardians are encouraged to join play activities, helping strengthen emotional bonds and improve communication with their children.
“I see how my granddaughter becomes more engaged every day,” said Nyakong Adok, whose three-year-old granddaughter Nyagua has been receiving treatment in Kule. “At the beginning she would barely catch the ball. Now she wants to continue playing all the time.”
In May, MSF conducted a two-week training programme for counsellors, nurses and other healthcare workers in Kule to strengthen their ability to provide psychosocial support through play. MSF said Kule is the first of its projects to receive the specialised training, which it hopes to expand to other humanitarian settings.
The aid group said the initiative reflects a broader approach to child healthcare in emergencies, where emotional wellbeing and development are treated as essential parts of recovery alongside medical and nutritional care.