These holidays... give a gift of hope
With a real project gift from Plan you are giving hope to the children and families whose lives are being threatened in communities throughout East Africa.
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Priority Projects in India
Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Development in India
Strengthening and extending early childhood care and development services so that children living in the most difficult circumstances do not miss out.
Our plan in India
Plan is working at the grassroots level in India to help communities make real and lasting change, so that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Plan started working in India in 1979 and currently operates within the southern states of the country. Over the next five years, however, Plan India intends to commence work in some of the poorest areas of India in the north of the country.
Plan India programs aim to address the following issues:
- Unregistered children
- Gender inequality
- Health status of women and children
- Access to quality education
- Local governance
- Environmental degradation
- Disaster risk
- Household economic and social security
Plan's programs and strategies to address these issues include:
Unregistered children
Nearly one tenth of all children in Plan India communities do not have birth certificates. Plan works in partnership with the Indian government, UNICEF and local organisations to ensure all births are registered.
Gender inequality
Strong preference for a male child often forces pregnant women to abort the female foetus. Women and girls often have fewer opportunities on health, education, economic and social security. Plan India is working with communities, government and other institutions to reduce the number of cases on female feticide and to generate awareness on the issue.
Women's and children's health
Undernourishment, low immunisation rates and inadequate access to healthcare contribute to poor health for women and children. Plan India supports programs to build capacities of communities on safe motherhood, complete immunisation efforts, early childcare and management of childhood and adult illnesses like diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, tuberculosis and conditions of anemia and malnutrition through training.
Education
Indian children, particularly girls, drop out of school due to poor infrastructure, under-staffing, poor quality of education and lack of opportunities for higher education. Plan India works closely with communities, children, parents, teachers and local government to improve the quality of education and attendance and to make schools child-friendly.
Local governance
Plan works with communities and children groups to strengthen their own capacities to participate in local governance, to improve efficiency in the use of government funds and to improve the availability of and access to basic services in health, education, livelihood and infrastructure.
Water and sanitation
Water is a scarce resource in most communities where Plan India work. A majority of the rural population does not have sanitation facilities and it is the cause of many child illnesses and deaths. Plan in collaboration with local organisations and government promotes environment and water conservation programs, construction of family, community and school toilets as well as hygiene practices like water purification and hand washing.
Disaster risk and response
Plan supports rehabilitation activities for vulnerable communities affected by natural disasters, like the Tsunami, and also promotes capacity building of children and families to be prepared to protect themselves from the effects of natural disasters.
Household economic and social security
Plan India works with families who live below a dollar per day. These families do not have economic and food security and often children are forced to work, at times in hazardous occupations. Plan Indiaâ#€#™#s programs promote awareness savings, micro finance and micro-insurance groups, vocational training, sustainable agriculture and income generation.
See Plan's work in progress
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Country Facts
| Country | India | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Flag |  |
 |
| Population | 1.087 Billion | 21 Million |
| Language | 18 recognised languages, Hindi (official) | English |
| Capital | New Delhi | Canberra |
| GDP per capita (USD/year) |
640 | $37,300 |
| Life expectancy | 63.6 | 81.5 |
| Access to safe drinking water |
86% | 100% |
| Literacy | 61% | 100% |
| Source: | United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006 | |
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