Earlier this year, we proudly announced our partnership with Right To Play. Through sports and play-based programs, Right To Play protects, educates and empowers children in 15 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We joined forces to promote the power of play, and we’ll continue to do so by joining the movement for good. From May to July 2020, our employees will be supporting the work of Right To Play by moving and tracking their physical activity on Scooch. So, how does this work?

UNGA employees join the movement on Scooch

As always—and especially now when we’re spending a lot of time indoors—UNGA is on the hunt for ideas to keep its employees healthy and happy. Our new initiative? Using Scooch to encourage the entire team to exercise and track their progress.

Scooch is a vitality app that processes steps, stairs, runs, rides and workouts. It converts our activity into a common movement currency: 1-point equals 80 steps walking or 2 flights of stairs or even burned calories. The app subsequently enables users to track their weekly progress.

Additionally, to make it even more encouraging, UNGA employees can earn play outcomes every week. “During the Lockdown period, it’s a challenge to sometimes find the motivation to get out of the house at the end of the day and keep active. Scooch has given me the kick I sometimes needed!” explains Sarah Gitau, our Finance Director. The more competitive users can also compete against each other and improve their performance. “It’s a good balance of company rivalry paired with the knowledge that we are all moving to support UNGA’s chosen charity Right to Play.”

Get moving to empower children through Right To Play

In addition to keeping employees healthy, UNGA’s initiative with Scooch carries another purpose: empowering children through play. During these special times, our partner Right To Play continues to remotely deliver a range of games to families and communities via mobile apps, social and community media in order to adhere to the social distancing restrictions. Now, by moving and tracking their physical activity on Scooch, UNGA employees can support Right To Play’s mission.

Depending on the number of points they reach, employees can:

• Help a child access a play session on the radio;
  → To reach out to more children, Right To Play provides information and play sessions over the local radio channels, TV and social media platforms. The medium used depends on the country itself and availability of internet.
• Help a child receive Right To Play’s play@home cards;
  → Since the programs cannot take place in groups, and because children need to stay at home, Right To Play has developed play@home cards. Families can thus play together—a great way to help protect, empower and educate children. The games pertain to protection, cultivating life skills, maintaining mental health, having fun and to also learning to ensure kids’ continuous development at home.
• Give a child access to a handwashing game;
  → With washing hands being important in preventing the spread of COVID-19, Right To Play has developed various games to make it fun and help kids understand why handwashing is so important.
• Enable a local coach from Right To Play to visit a family;
  → During their visit, coaches talk about the current situation and prevention. They also highlight how to stay healthy and how to continue learning through play.

Akwasi Frimpong, Olympic athlete and Right To Play Ambassador, shared his enthusiasm: “I am very pleased that UNGA employees are making a move for vulnerable children worldwide. Right To Play reaches 2.3 million children in 15 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Life for these children is challenging every day. During this pandemic, they are extra vulnerable. No clean water, no nice home to stay, hard to stay on a 1.5m distance. For them, the help of Right To Play is so important. Play really can save lives. Especially now.”

To learn more about Right To Play’s programs or the play@home cards such as the “Covid Greetings” card below, please visit their website.