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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. Sponsor a child in India.
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:
Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:
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.
Strong preference for a male child often forces pregnant women to abort the female fœtus. 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 India’s programs promote awareness savings, micro finance and micro-insurance groups, vocational training, sustainable agriculture and income generation.
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