A not-for-profit organisation is opening the Play Africa Children’s Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, to provide young people with the opportunity to learn and develop through play.

Opening in June 2017, the children’s museum will be a major public space for families in the city. It will offer an immersive environment with educational and interactive exhibits designed to facilitate learning through play.

The centre will be located in a 5,000sqm (53,820sq ft) sustainably-built venue surrounded by an outdoor park. It aims to be a low-cost attraction that is accessible to children of all backgrounds and predicts a minimum of 200,000 child visitors per year.

Designed for an audience of 0 to 10 years, the children’s museum will aim to stimulate physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

Play Africa was founded by Gretchen Wilson Prangley in early 2013. Fundraising for the project is already underway.

“There is no space like the Play Africa Children’s Museum in the country or continent,” she said. “When you show people images of places like this that are open all around the world and you see that you can bring this concept here and make it truly South African, you get this real sense of possibility and excitement.

“This museum is a way of bringing parents, children and community together in one space."

The project hopes in the long run to help break down the barriers between people from different backgrounds. With its complex history, South Africa still suffers from child poverty and social division.

According to Reehana Moosajee, founding board member of Play Africa, there’s a lack of early childhood development programmes in the country.

“Play Africa Children’s Museum can also help us break down the barriers between rich and poor,” Moosajee said. “It will be a catalyst for the community.”

The children’s museum has a potential audience of 2 million children in Johannesburg and wider Gauteng Province area, as well as visitors to the region.