Shweta Chari has a mission – to ensure that every child can exercise their right to play, in India. Something as fundamental as play, is
a luxury for most children, in India.
Nineteen years ago, on the last day of her Engineering examination, Shweta went directly to a shelter home for young
boys, where she became a volunteer. She taught these boys Mathematics. She observed that deprivation of play led to developmental delays and behavioural
issues in these children. She also observed that the children had no time to play. Shweta boldly culled out an hour daily, to simply play with these
children. Playing board games and engaging in free play.
The children embraced Shweta into their lonely world.
By intentionally incorporating
play into the lives of these children, Shweta noticed a distinct difference in their emotional wellbeing, self-confidence, and even learning outcomes. This
catalysed her to start a Right to Play movement in India. A visionary. A missionary.
In 2004, Shweta Chari co-founded The Opentree Foundation. The
flagship project of this foundation was Toybank – Development through Play.
Initially, Toybank focused on collecting and distributing ethical toys and games
across various cities in India. However, Shweta realized that this was not enough. She then began to develop a curriculum that provided children with
curated play material, as well as trained teachers to adopt games and play-oriented practices, for the holistic development of children in India.
From simply distributing toys and games among 100,000+ children in Mumbai, Toybank has established 650+ Play2Learn Centres across 12 districts in
Maharashtra. These centres have specific and highly curated play activities that impact 77,000+ children every day.
Currently, Toybank is 45 people strong
along with 500+ volunteers. These volunteers insist on being part of play sessions.
Toybank’s interventions have created play facilitators among teachers,
caregivers, and volunteers. Shweta is backed by her friends, as well as supporters amongst artistes, academicians, and child-specialists from diverse
spheres. In addition, she has a committed Board of Trustees.
Shweta believes: It is easier to build strong children, than repair broken adults.
Shweta Chari. Facilitating Quality Improvement as a Way of Life.
We congratulate Shweta Chari. Our Qimpro Gold Standard 2024 for Education.