Small foundation.
Real places. Real change.
We visit orphanages in developing countries, figure out what is actually missing, and then we build it. No layers, no overhead, no guesswork. Eight projects across six countries since 2005.
Rwanda
2008
Vietnam
2012
Bolivia
2014
Bolivia
2017
Papua
2019
Haiti
2021
Sri Lanka
2024
India
2026 — now
We visit, we assess, and then we build what is actually needed.
Kids at Play travels to orphanages in developing countries and starts by listening. What does this community actually lack? What would make the greatest difference, right now, with the funds available? The answers are rarely glamorous: a roof that doesn’t leak, a clean water tap, a classroom floor that isn’t mud.
Once the real needs are clear, we reconstruct, renovate, build, and maintain. We involve local people as much as possible at every step, and we place volunteers where the work calls for them. The goal is always infrastructure that lasts beyond our visit, maintained by the people who rely on it every day.
Three things that make the biggest difference
When we assess an orphanage, we look for the gaps that hurt children most. Safe shelter, clean water, and the chance to learn and play: these are the foundations every child deserves, and the areas where our work is concentrated.
Basic needs, first. Everything else follows.
The aim of Kids at Play is straightforward: make sure children in orphanages in developing countries have what every child should have. Not luxuries. Necessities. The things that let a child be healthy, safe, and ready to grow.
We also place volunteers on location, connecting people who want to help directly with the communities that need them.
the child.
How we operate and what we refuse to compromise on
A small Dutch foundation with a long track record
Kids at Play is an independent foundation based in the Netherlands, founded in 2005 by Marig Schaap, Bernhard Los, Willem-Joost Meijer, and Luke Vos. It started as Rwandaspeelt (Rwanda Plays), named after the foundation’s very first project in 2008, and grew into the more broadly named Kids at Play as the work expanded across continents.
That honest reckoning shaped everything. Instead of sticking to the original plan, the foundation adapted to what communities actually needed. That willingness to listen before acting is still the core of how Kids at Play operates today.
The people who make it happen
A small, dedicated group who have been on location, in the dust, figuring it out since 2005.
building for happiness.
Every donation goes directly to a specific project. No vanishing into overheads. No question marks. Just real work, in a real place, for children who need it.