It's her right.
Together we can build a world where all children grow up safe from violence, and have access to an education so that they can pave their own futures.
Global aid cuts are hurting girls
Despite significant achievements in areas such as education over the last three decades, millions of adolescent girls across the world today are still out of school, ill-equipped for the future, facing gaps in life-saving health services, and at risk of harmful practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), violence, and abuse.
With governments around the world cutting humanitarian aid and rolling back on their commitments to gender equality, support for girls has never been more important.
We know that:
- Despite a 39% decrease in out-of-school girls in the last 20 years, 122 million girls remain out of school globally. Adolescent girls aged 15-19 in South Asia are three times more likely than boys to not be in school, employment, or training.
- Nearly 1 in 4 adolescent girls who have married or partnered have experienced intimate partner violence worldwide, and 50 million girls alive today have experienced sexual violence.
Girls and women everywhere deserve a life free from violence and abuse, opportunities for education, training, and employment, and to have control over their own bodies.
It's time to move forward. Until we're all equal.
Every child deserves an education
Everyone has the right to an education. But for many kids facing hunger and crisis, their education is the first thing to go.
When Sokha’s father died, her mother found work as a farm labourer to support the family, however she does not earn a lot and sometimes there is no food to eat.
"When my mother is away working, I have to take care of my little brother because I am scared that something bad will happen to him," shares Sokha. "I also wash dishes, cook rice, and sometimes collect cashew nuts with my mother. I always feel tired."
Plan International works with our local partners to support parents through parenting classes that cover child nutrition, maternal and childhood healthcare, and early childhood development. We provide families with technical support and seeds to grow vegetables to boost their children's nutrition and as a way to earn an income.
To support children’s education in the community, Plan International recently completed construction work on a new primary school which has three classrooms. Sokha is a grade two student and tells us that she never misses a school day.
"I have four good friends, but my best friend is Sok Na who is like a sister. She gives me cake and explains the lessons to me when I don’t understand something,” says Sokha.
When asked about her hopes for the future, Sokha replies without hesitation. “I want to be an NGO employee so I can earn money to support my younger brother with his studies.”
Now, more than ever, is the time to support the next generation of kids and protect the progress we’ve made in creating a more equal world for all.
No girl should live in fear of gender-based violence
For too many girls around the world, the threat of violence and abuse is inescapable. It is prevalent in all aspects of their everyday lives from their bus ride to school, walking home, and especially inside their homes.
The role of men and boys is pivotal to protecting girls from violence and ensuring healthy relationships between men and women. That’s where our Real Fathers’ Club’s come in.
In a small community in Ghana, Michael, a father of six daughters, has joined his local Real Fathers’ Club. It’s a space for husbands and fathers to share their experiences of life at home, challenge traditional gender stereotypes, and ensure that the harmful practice of FGM does not resurface in their community.
Since joining, Michael has started to think differently when it comes to household responsibilities and the future he wants for his daughters.
Now, because of the club’s activities, numerous fathers in the community are stepping up to share household responsibilities with their wives, bond with their children, and challenge deeply ingrained gender and masculinity norms that have shaped their communities for generations.
Girls disrupting the cycle of child marriage
In Cambodia, it’s normal to get married young. Almost 1 in 5 girls are married before they turn 18.
With journalism training led by Plan International, Karry is leading the charge to end the harmful practice of child marriage in her community. She’s sharing stories about child marriage and gender equality.
The girls involved in the project are producing stories, interviews, and social media posts that tell the story of child marriage and dropping out of school from a unique vantage point; from the girls themselves.
“I worked with Plan International staff to produce a report on child and early forced marriages, early adolescent pregnancies, and dropouts from school… I still have a lot to learn about broadcasting, but I am more determined than ever to improve and inform as many people as possible,” says Karry.
The project is an example of how traditional information campaigns in the media can be revitalised by incorporating the voices and perspectives of girls and women who often go unheard.
Girls are speaking out and creating change for the next generation.
It’s time to listen.
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