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Our PASEWAY program is providing vital business training to women and girls in Ghana, helping them develop skills and create job opportunities. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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AYISHA’S PLAN

1. Learn a trade.

2. Start a business.

3. Pay it forward.

In Tamale, the capital of Northern Ghana, passersby often stop to marvel at a crew of 10 tile layers laughing and trading quips at a local construction site. It’s not something they see every day. Why? Because six of the crew members are women.

This scene is made possible by Ayisha.

Ayisha, 27, was in an arranged marriage and struggling to make ends meet when she heard a radio announcement about a job-training program. After interviewing at the program office the next morning, she decided to register on the spot to learn tile laying – a trade she knew nothing about.

“First, I thought it was for males,” she recalls. “Lifting tiles from here and there seemed like a huge thing. I was a bit afraid to learn it. But if you don’t try, how will you know?”

Her husband, mother and father-in-law didn’t understand why she would want to do “a boy’s job.” Friends attempted to dissuade her, saying it would destroy her beauty and spoil her skin. But Ayisha persevered and learned quickly. “[Tile laying] is not anything harsh. I could do it,” she says. “Now I am a master, and I am proud of my work.”

Creating job opportunities for young women

Today, the same people who made cracks about how they would never date a woman who works in construction approach Ayisha for contract work as labourers and masons. Even the dynamics of her marriage have shifted: Her husband is proud and respectful, marvelling at all of the people she finds work for – himself included.

Beyond providing casual employment, Ayisha has taught six young women (and three young men) how to lay tiles through her registered company, Dinveilla Construction Works. For Ayisha, who had never seen a woman tile layer before she became one, the most rewarding part of her career journey has been training other girls.

“I don’t want this moment to be only in Ghana but to move farther,” she says.

I want people to know that women, we can do something.

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

In Ghana, a society in which age commands respect, youth often struggle to access quality education and training that aligns with job opportunities.

Ayisha’s plan came together with the support of Pathways for Sustainable Employment for Women and Youth (PASEWAY), a three-year project facilitated by Plan International Ghana and local partners that helped young people across Northern Ghana gain job training and business skills.

Through PASEWAY, more than 4,200 young people like Ayisha received technical and soft-skills training in the construction and hospitality sectors. Over 50% of those who secured internships in these fields went on to be offered full-time employment. Ayisha is one of 500 PASEWAY graduates who has formally registered her microbusiness, a move that gives it more credibility as well as better access to government and private contracts.

BY THE NUMBERS

With about 200 million people ages 15 to 24, Africa has the youngest population of any continent in the world. This number will double by 2050, creating what the African Development Bank calls a “ticking time bomb,” given that youth unemployment currently affects one in three young Africans.

Barriers include:

  • a mismatch between education/training and in-demand skills.
  • a lack of access to financing, markets and business-development skills that discourages entrepreneurship.
  • social and cultural norms that discriminate against young people – particularly women, rural youth, migrants and those with disabilities.

Approximately three quarters of unemployed adults in Ghana are considered “young.”

In Ghana, 46% of businesses are owned by women, but many lack the support necessary to grow.

Plan International has helped 6.7 million children and young adults around the world gain skills and access opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship.

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Our Adolescent Girls in Crisis project in Uganda is helping refugee teens and young moms launch businesses that support their families and fund their future dreams. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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RUTH’S PLAN

Photo of Ruth from Uganda

1. Grow her business.

2. Support her siblings to stay in school.

3. Mentor others.

Ruth didn’t want to drop out of school, but the 20-year-old refugee from South Sudan says she had no choice when she couldn’t afford the fees.

After I left school, I was at home, and life became very hard.

The settlement where she lives, in the Adjumani district in the north of Uganda, is now home to some 15,000 people (including those who live in the host community). Uganda is the largest refugee host country in Africa. While it has a relatively progressive approach to refugee management, tensions exist among host communities, long-term refugees and new arrivals due to competition over decreasing resources and the actual or perceived belief of unequal access to services.

Ruth is all business!

Ruth has eight siblings, three of whom are already married due to the family’s economic situation. She wanted to help her family, so she joined a business training program. Today, she is the proud owner of a successful small business, selling charcoal, dried fish, tomatoes, scissors, padlocks and dresses – a real corner store.

“I was able to borrow some money, and I started my business,” she explains. “When I started to make a profit, I repaid the money plus interest. I understand profit, loss and interest and other things that go into running a business.”

Her early success emboldened her to borrow more money to expand. “I thought to myself, ‘I am capable; I am strong,’” she says. Ruth has since repaid that loan, which makes her feel “happy and excited” that she can support her parents, buy food for the family and pay the school fees for her younger siblings. “I am now living happily. I’m shining and proud.”

Ruth credits her success to the mentors she met in the Youth Savings Group she joined. She hopes to also be a mentor one day. “I want others in my community to become empowered and move on with their lives,” she says.

“My next step is to continue growing my business. I may get my mom to run this one while I start another. I also want to help my younger siblings finish school, and maybe I’ll return to school to study social work and social administration, because I like counselling people.”

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

In the past year, the Adolescent Girls in Crisis (AGiC) project has supported 3,344 people, including 1,235 girls and 866 young women, across two refugee settlements in northern Uganda. Participants in 25 Youth Savings Groups study business skills such as record keeping, branding, market assessment and business planning. They also learn about their social and economic rights, which decreases their risks of gender-based violence and early and forced marriage.

The results? To date, 157 adolescent girls and young mothers are now engaged in their businesses, and 81% of them say that the training has helped them manage their finances.

The project also created four Adolescent Girls and Young Mothers (AGYM) safe spaces, where participants can access protection services. To date, 109 survivors of violence have accessed non-food items and have been referred for further support.

In addition, 41 health workers have been trained in adolescent-friendly services. This has helped 3,936 adolescents access sexual and reproductive health services.

BY THE NUMBERS

Women in Uganda own one in three businesses, yet they tend to run smaller businesses in less profitable areas than men.

Uganda is one of only seven countries worldwide that has achieved gender parity in terms of the number of women who become entrepreneurs.

30% of Ugandan women entrepreneurs started their businesses out of necessity, versus 21% of men.

Among entrepreneurs, women are less likely than men to have employees, but women are more likely than men to hire women as employees.

Women and children comprise 81% of Uganda’s 1.54 million refugees.

Ugandan refugee settlements are governed by Refugee Welfare Committees (RWCs). Committee members are elected every two years by the refugee community under the supervision of the Office of the Prime Minister. Up to 30% of RWC members can be refugees, but women are seldom represented.

UN Women provided training to address that, and women went from 10% representation in 2017 to 48% in Yumbe and 54% in Adjumani in 2022.

Worldwide, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2022. That is more than one in every 74 people on earth.

At the end of June 2023, there were 1,561,634 refugees in Uganda. This makes Uganda the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa.

Over half (56.5%) of these refugees are from South Sudan. In the six months starting from January 2023, 18,522 people entered Uganda from South Sudan.

13.5% (210,741) are living in the Adjumani district. The host population of the district is 238,800, meaning that 47% of the district’s current population are refugees.

Many refugees live in settlements that differ from refugee camps in that they are integrated into host communities.

The Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Young women and girls leading change in refugee settlements project in Uganda is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

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Our Keeping Adolescent Girls in School project in Tanzania is helping girls and young women stay in school by strengthening their ability to exercise their rights and providing communities with practical support. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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MAGRETH’S PLAN

1. Get an education.

2. Forge a seemingly impossible career path.

3. Empower others to do the same.

Growing up in the Kisarawe District in the Coast Region of Tanzania, Magreth was a girl who seemed capable of anything.

In primary school, she was the enthusiastic and familiar face of educational videos and fundraising campaigns for the Kisarawe Children’s Rights Club. Off-camera, she developed a love of writing by corresponding with her Plan International sponsor in Sweden. By 11, she was contributing stories to Watoto Bomba, a book for children about coping with everyday challenges.

“We told stories about how to keep yourself safe in all situations: at school or when swimming. Even how not to get an electric shock when ironing – which I wrote from personal experience!” she recalls with a laugh.

In secondary school, during a Plan International #GirlsTakeover event in which she “took over” as a program unit manager, Magreth discovered the joy of leading:

At 13, I got to conduct meetings, sign documents and do fieldwork. It was fun – but it was serious!

Although Magreth had many talents, everyone was shocked and confused when, at age 14, she announced her intention to become a doctor.

Not just an ordinary girl

In a community where Magreth says many girls are married and pregnant before 16, no woman had ever pursued medicine. Was it even possible? Her family worried that she’d be wasting her time. Magreth responded by adding physics and biology to her course load.

I wanted to prove everybody wrong. I wanted to be not just an ordinary girl.

With Magreth’s admission to Muhimbili University came hard work, long hours and the stress of paying for tuition and textbooks. But she pushed through. In a country where many regions have as few as one doctor per 100,000 people, Magreth became increasingly focused on the reality that access to health care was a struggle for many. “Often, by the time people check into a hospital, they are in advanced stages of cancer or heart disease,” she explains. “I thought to myself, ‘If I want to be a good physician, I have to prevent these diseases from happening.’”

But how?

Stopping disease before it starts

In addition to running the university’s Students One Health Innovation Club, Magreth participated in an initiative to translate medical information from English to Swahili and publish it on a website so that non-English speakers could proactively access information about their health and well-being. The name of this project was Daktari Mkononi – “a doctor at hand.”

Last year, Magreth started working with the African Union COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative (under the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) to mobilize youth to get vaccinated. “Young people feel invincible against COVID-19 but also fear the vaccine will sap their energy and make them infertile,” Magreth explains. “We have to understand their thinking so we can challenge it in a way that catches their attention.”

Magreth is now 27, and her mission to stop diseases before they start has brought her to the University of Dar es Salaam, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in public health. The talents she nurtured as a child continue to serve her well. Leveraging her platform as the Tanzania chapter leader for the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network, Magreth writes articles, appears on radio shows and does public speaking and advocacy work on topics related to women’s rights, reproductive health, breastfeeding and taking care of babies through depression – the issues young women in her country face every day.

Paying it forward

Looking back, Magreth describes her journey as “very, very hard” but is encouraged by the progress she sees in her community. Some girls are going to secondary school and even university, which was unheard of a decade ago.

As a Plan International youth advocate in Tanzania, Magreth encourages this path every day – even on her day off. On Saturdays, when she returns home to socialize with family and friends and sing in the church choir, she also leads empowerment workshops for girls. For Magreth, it’s time well spent:

When you empower someone to fight for their rights and their dreams, they also have a chance to empower others.

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

In Tanzania, family and community resistance is just one of the barriers girls face when it comes to education. If there are financial challenges, girls are pulled from school. If a school doesn’t have a washroom for girls, they stay home when they’re menstruating. Early and forced marriage and pregnancy put an end to a girl’s education in over 99% of cases.

Working in conjunction with the government and community organizations, Plan International has launched the Keeping Adolescent Girls in School project in the Geita and Kigoma Regions of northern Tanzania. The project’s Year One goal was to move the needle on girls’ education by strengthening girls’ abilities to exercise their rights and make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. A critical aspect of the initiative is engaging parents and communities in the conversation and providing practical support toward helping families educate their girls.

BY THE NUMBERS

In Tanzania:

  • Only one in four girls completes secondary school.
  • Almost one in three girls marries before she reaches the age of 18, and one in four has her first child before the age of 18.
  • Less than 1% of girls aged 15 to 19 are both in school and married.

In Year One, the Keeping Adolescent Girls in School project…

  • Trained 362 community leaders to mobilize support for adolescent girls’ education and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  • Selected 118 community facilitators to teach girls about their right to education and how to advocate for gender equality.
  • Hosted 118 community discussions to raise awareness about the importance of girls’ education.
  • Distributed 236 education savings group kits to parents, to help families develop the financial ability to support girls’ education.

Now in Year Two, the project continues to keep adolescent girls in school through initiatives such as savings groups, which provide uniforms, school kits and more for girls in addition to providing support at a community level.

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Our Sape’a 2.0 program in Paraguay helps young women overcome barriers and grow their own businesses to improve their quality of life. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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MAURA’S PLAN

1. Start a business with the resources at hand.

2. Enhance quality and increase demand.

3. Create a path out of poverty and a future for her children.

Maura is a 28-year-old mother of two who lives in Paraguay and works as a ganchera. This is the name given to people who look for and separate recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans from waste and then either sell it to recycling companies or keep it for their own use.

“We are a family of waste pickers,” explains Maura. “We work at the Cateura dump. I am a ganchera, my mother is a ganchera, and so are most of my relatives.” It is estimated that at the landfill where Maura collects materials, there are about 600 people engaged in this work, the majority of whom are women. Gancheras often work in precarious conditions, surrounded by trash and waste and exposed to diseases and insects. Despite the importance of this work in reducing landfill, waste pickers are often marginalized by society, which views them as low-income and poorly educated.

“There are few opportunities for young people in the country. … The last thing you want to see is your child [picking waste] under the sun,” says Maura – who, envisioning a different future for her children, took a bold and unexpected step.

Recycled beauty

Sifting through waste, Maura began searching for beauty. She started using found items – fabrics, carpets, artificial flowers, vases and structures – to create decorative pieces for special events like celebrations and reunions. She set up a workspace, a storage area and even a shop in her home. A decoration business was born.

Keen to grow and improve her business, Maura entered a competition for seed capital through Plan International’s Sape’a 2.0 program – and won. She spent the money wisely, investing in design materials, tools and worktables. Sape’a 2.0 also offered training, through which Maura learned to write a business plan, calculate costs and set prices.

I learned that I have to value my work, that I don’t have to give away what I do.

 Today, Maura’s business not only boosts the circular economy but also allows her to generate income to improve her family’s quality of life. While she is encouraged by her clients’ growing admiration, her greatest source of pride is her ability to get ahead in life with scarce resources. Or, as Maura puts it, “starting from the bottom and always looking up.”

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

Launched in 2019, the Sape’a 2.0 program supports economic justice for young people, especially women, in Paraguay. Its aim is to help them overcome barriers and stereotypes and facilitate their integration into the world of work under favorable conditions.

BY THE NUMBERS

Sape’a 2.0 program highlights

  • Young people reached: 4,120.
  • Young people who received seed capital to start or strengthen their ventures: 300.
  • Young people who developed new innovative ventures with competitive funds: 25.
  • Young people who have an approved business plan: 1,451.
  • Young people who received training to innovate in their ventures: 60+

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Young Lebanese women and girls receive training and support to start businesses, allowing them to be more self-reliant, protect themselves and support their families. Together we will Beat the Clock.

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BATOUL’S PLAN

1. Dream up an idea for a business.

2. Get some business training.

3. Be courageous and launch it! 

If you were to metaphorically walk a mile in Batoul’s shoes, you would have some insight into this 20-year-old woman’s challenges and breakthroughs.

You also can now literally walk in her shoes – the ones she buys and sells online to earn money to help support her family in Lebanon.

Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes 

Batoul lives with her parents and siblings. She describes her father as supportive but overprotective. Case in point: After Batoul refused a marriage proposal, her father decided she should be confined to their home for five months due to the scorned suitor’s aggressive response to her refusal. Her parents supported her decision but were worried for her well-being.  

However well-intentioned her parents’ actions were, the isolation took its toll. Cut off from the outside world, Batoul says she lived in a constant “state of fear, fatigue and pain” and cried most nights. “At one point, I decided I must do something,” she recalls. She turned to YouTube for inspiration, to see if she could launch a business. But in what?  

Fortunately, this turning point in Batoul’s life coincided with her learning about a vocational training program. One participant opted to work in a dairy factory; others launched sewing businesses. Batoul chose to focus on buying and selling products. She also learned how to market her business online and build connections with local merchants.  

Orders began streaming in, and Batoul expanded her business to include other products, such as makeup. Today, she hopes that she can inspire other young women facing similar challenges.  

I’d tell them: ‘You must be strong, patient and courageous. Not everyone’s situation is comfortable; you must go through difficulties, but you will grow stronger and more resilient.’

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

Batoul participates in the INMAA Sustainable Social Protection and Livelihood Solutions for Severely Vulnerable Households project in Lebanon. (INMAA is a European Union-funded project implemented by four partners: the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training, Akkarouna, Plan International and Save the Children.) The project works with Lebanese and Syrian refugee households experiencing extreme poverty so they can be less dependent on social assistance. To help them become self-reliant, the project offers vocational training and financial literacy and builds awareness about gender equality and empowerment.

BY THE NUMBERS

Less than a year into the project, 58% of participating households reported an improved ability to support at least three of five basic needs (food, housing, health, education and clothing). Covering food costs was the priority for 89%, followed by housing (76%), health (70%), education (68%) and clothing (33%).

In 2022, high inflation, reduced access to basic services and increasing social tens”ions due to the severe economic crisis continued to drive high levels of poverty and food insecurity. The first-ever Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) food security analysis for Lebanon found that between September and December 2022, about 2 million people living in Lebanon – 37% of the total population – were estimated to be in acute food-insecurity situations, known as Phase 3 (Crisis), with over 300,000 (6%) at Phase 4 (Emergency). People experiencing Phase 3 require urgent humanitarian assistance to prevent acute malnutrition. The numbers were expected to increase in 2023 to 42% in Phase 3 and 7% in Phase 4.

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Our Break Free program in Kenya helps prevent teen pregnancy and female genital mutilation by educating women and girls about their sexual health and rights. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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PORIA’S PLAN

1. Go to school.

2. Become a leader.

3. Change the world.

If you are lazy, please try another school.

Poria had just arrived at the place that would be her home for the next four years when she spotted that message posted above the school principal’s office door. That’s when she realized she was exactly where she wanted to be.

“I knew [then] that this is a place where people work hard,” recalls the now-16-year-old, adding that she promised herself she’d leave one day as “someone different.” And more than just different – she and her classmates would be “great women in society: ladies of substance, ladies of integrity, and ladies who could depend upon themselves.”

They would also be ladies who have the courage to stand before people and be “great leaders of tomorrow.”

What she wouldn’t be is another Maasai girl who ends up being married and dependent on her husband for everything.

I can say that if I were not in this school, my life would be totally miserable. Maybe I would end up getting married or working at simple jobs on the farm or washing clothes for people.

Poria’s big break: school

For two decades, primary-school education in Kenya has been free, yet only 48% of Maasai girls enrol, and only 10% make it to secondary school.  “Most Maasai people do not value education,” says Poria. “But it is to my surprise that my dad is one of the people who really values education. He has seen how education [through my older sisters] is transforming ladies, so he has chosen to educate all his girls and boys.” She adds that her dad, who has four wives and 35 children, will do everything possible, including selling his livestock, to give his children this opportunity.

In Poria’s case, she was given a spot in a girls’ boarding school in the countryside in Kajiado County after her neighbours’ daughter got pregnant and couldn’t attend. As the tuition had already been paid and the uniform bought, they suggested Poria be given the opportunity.

Today, she feels like she’s part of a sisterhood. Up to 80% of the girls attending the school are Maasai; many of them have gone through female genital mutilation (FGM) or early marriages and have “managed to escape and come to this school,” explains Poria.

A sisterhood that champions girls’ rights.

One of Poria’s favourite moments each week is when the girls gather for the Guidance and Counselling (G&C) club. Here, they share their stories and talk to teachers and other mentors who speak to them about the issues they’re facing.

I have met other young women in G&C who are like sisters to me, and they understand us more than our parents do at home. I met Maasai ladies who attended this school and are now teachers here. This encourages me… They are a great inspiration in my life.

Poria

In these G&C sessions, Poria has learned to be a peer counsellor, a role she takes seriously. “I’m learning how to speak to these young women, to encourage them,” she says. “Sometimes they speak about touching stories in their lives and need help. At some point, you feel like crying, but you have to be strong for this person, because if you start crying, she will feel so much pity for herself.”

Later, when she’s alone, Poria finds somewhere quiet to “release the heaviness through tears,” she says. Then, she says, she feels fresh and ready to move on and focus on her dreams.

One of these dreams is that she’ll travel outside of her country to see the world, and another is that she’ll attend university and study medicine. And she hopes that when she’s a doctor working in a hospital, she’ll meet a classmate who works in a bank or another who teaches at an institution.

When we return to the villages we come from, they will know that we are not ordinary girls. They will know we have been transformed and that we are great ladies. We will go back to our villages and transform those people too. There is a kind of poverty around the village, around the family, that I want to transform, and I believe I can do it through education.

Poria

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

Poria participates in Plan International’s Break Free program. Its goal is to improve the sexual and reproductive health and well-being of adolescents and promote gender equality for women and girls. It also aims to improve access to education. The longer a girl stays in school, the less likely she will be to marry before age 18 and have children during her teenage years.

At weekly Guidance and Counselling sessions, teachers and Plan International mentors talk about issues related to sexual and reproductive health rights. “We discuss different issues with the girls and try to make them feel comfortable in school,” explains Esther Marona, a teacher at Poria’s school. “We help guard them against FGM, early marriages, drugs and substance abuse and illicit relationships. These teenagers are going through a lot in their lives, and we try to make them feel like they belong.”

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 15% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 in Kenya have been circumcised.
  • The prevalence of FGM has declined, from 38% of women (ages 15 to 49) in 1988 to 15% in 2022.
  • 45% of these women were circumcised between the ages of 10 and 14, and 30% between the ages of 5 and 9.
  • More than 80% of female circumcisions are performed by traditional circumcisers or birth attendants.
  • 88% of women and 87% of men who have heard of FGM believe their culture doesn’t require it.

Source: Kenya Demographic Health Survey

Ending FGM by 2026

In 2011, the Kenyan government passed the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act. FGM is now a crime, and if it results in a girl’s death, the cutter can be imprisoned for life. At the Generation Equality Forum in 2021, the president of Kenya – as a global co-leader of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) – made 12 commitments to end all forms of GBV and FGM by 2026.

Education

Since primary education was made free in 2002, it has led to an increase in school attendance across the country, except for marginalized areas, where the rates are lower. Of those who enrol in the first year of school, barely one in five makes it to their eighth year — with dropouts attributed to early marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), poverty and other factors, according to a Brookings Institution report. In Narok County, a predominantly Maasai area, only one in 15 girls enrolled in primary school proceeds to secondary school. Girls’ transition rates to university are even less common: 2.4% in Trans Mara West and 1% in Narok North. Despite a strong political commitment to education, access is still lopsided.

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Our programs in Brazil are supporting women and girls as they inspire their communities, by providing the education and skills they need to access clean, safe water. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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SANMYA’S PLAN

1. Pursue an education – no matter what.

2. Help her community secure a clean, plentiful water supply.

3. Inspire other girls to stay in school and dream big.

Last year, at a gala charity dinner in São Paulo, Brazil, all eyes were on 16-year-old Sanmya. As the first girl in her Afro-Brazilian community to attend university, she took to the stage to tell 150 people the story of her inspiring, improbable journey. 

Sanmya was born in Codó, a countryside community where securing water was a daily source of stress and struggle. The close-knit community of 120 families relied on cacimbas for their water supply. The word means “wells” in English, but Codó’s cacimba was more like a hole in the ground. The water from it wasn’t safe to drink, nor was it plentiful enough to meet the community’s daily needs.

From an early age, Sanmya had several responsibilities, including a long daily walk to the river to get clean water. She and her friends would then trek several kilometres to school and back home – where more chores awaited. It made for a long, exhausting day. When a young person in Codó gave up on school, it was easy to understand why.

But Sanmya knew that for her reality to change, she had to at least finish high school – no matter what.

Finding a path to a new life

The seeds of her determination were planted at age five, when she became a part of Plan International’s sponsorship program. In addition to being supported in her wish to stay in school, Sanmya was invited to participate in Rio+20 (a United Nations sustainability conference), the Girls Take Over movement and the women’s soccer project. Along the way, she exchanged letters with her sponsor in Germany.

“In that correspondence, I always found motivation to develop myself, to dream, to contribute and to help the community more and more,” recalls Sanmya, who chose journalism as her major in university.

Although she now lives and studies in the state of Piauí, Sanmya sits on the management committee of the Água, Saúde e Vida (Water, Health and Life) project, a program that tackles quality-of-life issues in Codó such as water supply, hygiene, education and violence prevention.

I hope to be able to apply everything I learn in school to help my community. I fight for girls to have a better life – one in which they are free from gender-based violence and can achieve more. 

While her words are optimistic, Sanmya is candid about the mountain she faces ahead: “I carry the responsibility of being an example to my community, inspiring girls to believe that there is a possibility of opening a new path. I have a long way before me.”

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

Plan International Brazil has been partnering with communities like Codó since 2003, impacting people one family at a time through initiatives dedicated to education, gender equality and improving access to clean water. Education-focused initiatives, sponsorship programs and violence-prevention workshops are keeping more children in school as well as enabling them to access enriching skills, opportunities and life experiences.

Through the work of the Água, Saúde e Vida project, Codó now enjoys and maintains a safe water supply and thriving school and community gardens. It all adds up to less stress and more certainty for this small but resilient community, where girls like Sanmya are getting ready to blaze a trail.

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 85% of natural disasters in Brazil are caused by three types of events: Flash floods, landslides and prolonged drought.
  • 35 million people in Brazil do not have access to drinking water.
  • 100 million do not have sewage collection or treatment in their homes.
  • 10% of young people dropped out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Meet the young Dominican woman advocating for girls’ rights, urging the president to help prevent early and forced marriage and teen pregnancy. Together, we will Beat the Clock.

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MELANY’S PLAN

1. Infiltrate the president’s office.

2. Advocate for change.

3. Eliminate early and forced marriage.

In 2020, Melany, a 10-year-old girl from the Dominican Republic, rolled up her sleeves for a unique opportunity. She became the first girl to serve as president of the Dominican Republic.

It was only for a day – but it was a chance to advocate for girls’ rights in the highest corridors of power, and Melany made the most of it. That day, she spent about four hours with Luis Abinader (the country’s actual president), formally requesting that he protect and prioritise girls’ rights.

“Mr President, I will be following up,” she said as she left the national Palace.

Leading change and looking ahead

Early and forced marriage (before age 18) is common in the Dominican Republic. Even girls as young as 10 have been forced to marry or live with older men. Girls in this situation are more likely to drop out of school, experience domestic violence and sexual abuse and have their opportunities evaporate – all of which fuels the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

In January 2021, a little more than a year after Melany “took office,” President Abinader enacted the 1-21 Law, a decree that made early and forced marriage illegal in the Dominican Republic.  

This law helps a lot, because sometimes girls get married, not by their own choice but because of arranged marriages for money or property or to escape abuse.

While encouraged by the legislation, Melany, now 13, is unsatisfied. Although early and forced marriage is now banned, informal unions of girls with older men persist and often result in early and unwanted pregnancies. “Because the practice is informal, the numbers are invisible,” she explains. 

Despite the complexity of legislating an issue that doesn’t officially exist, Melany continues to be invested in the cause – and her future. Through Crecer Contenta (Growing Up Happy), a teen-pregnancy- and early-marriage-prevention program facilitated by Plan International, she is also learning life skills and acquiring financial literacy. 

A big believer in the importance of developing herself “economically,” Melany recognizes the connection between money and agency. “Like sexual education, money management should be taught at school,” she says. “Like sports, learning English and technical skills, it will help someone.” 

HOW PLAN INTERNATIONAL HELPED

While Plan International’s Girls Takeover project put Melany in the President’s office, the Crecer Contenta project set her on her course.

The initiative focusses on preventing teen pregnancy and early and forced marriage through training in sexual and reproductive rights an empowering experiences like takeovers. Participants can also access training in money management and participate in a microfinance program that promotes entrepreneurship. Crecer Contenta engages parents and guardians on the importance of timely, comprehensive education, focussing on human rights, to get the community on board.

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 35.9% of young women between the ages of 20 and 24 in the Dominican Republic were married before age 18. 
  • More than one in three young women have been victims of early marriage. 
  • Crecer Contenta (Growing Up Happy) has impacted more than 540 girls ages 10 to 19. 

With the ambition that no girl should marry or become pregnant before the age of 18, Plan International works with more than 120 communities in provinces across the country, facilitating programs that promote changes in behaviours, social norms and policies.

Learn more about Beat the Clock and read more inspiring stories

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In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that shook northern Syria six months ago, Plan International supporters sprang into action. Together with generous contributions from our partners, like the Emergency Action Alliance, you’ve helped us to raise an incredible $356,812 for our emergency response.

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Syria earthquake: 6 months on 

In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that shook northern Syria six months ago, Plan International supporters sprang into action. Together with generous contributions from our partners, like the Emergency Action Alliance, you’ve helped us to raise an incredible $356,812 for our emergency response. 

Alongside our Plan International global colleagues and our dedicated partners, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), AVSI, INTERSOS, and Middle-East Council of Churches (MECC), your support has allowed us to provide life-saving assistance to a population struggling from 12 years of conflict, economic crisis, cholera outbreak, and harsh winter conditions.  

90% of the population are living below the poverty line, with over 12 million people facing food insecurity, more than 2 million children are out of school, and 13 million people needing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance.  

In the midst of this humanitarian emergency, Plan International is deeply conscious of the vulnerabilities faced by children, youth, and women, including increased risks of gender-based violence, child labour and child marriage, and it is with this lens that we approached our response. 

Initially, your support helped us to provide immediate protection and lifesaving interventions following the disaster, distributing essential food parcels to the most vulnerable families and personal hygiene and household cleaning kits which are crucial in preventing the spread of diseases and maintaining a safe living environment. With time, we have expanded our response to include WASH), education and rehabilitation interventions with a focus on building resilience to empower communities in the long term. 

We have rehabilitated six water systems so that 106,500 individuals in Aleppo and Latakia now have consistent access to safe drinking water and sanitation and hygiene facilities, and we have installed gender specific WASH facilities, to minimise protection risks for adolescent girls and women living in collective shelters, while also enhancing sanitation and hygiene conditions for all vulnerable populations.  

We are currently preparing the distribution of Cash for Protection which aims to support children and their families to meet their critical needs and recognising the emotional toll of living through a disaster, we have planned psycho-social support and remedial classes to help children cope with trauma and continue their education despite the disruptions.  

Education is critical to the wellbeing of children, and alongside our partners in Syria, we will be rehabilitating schools in affected areas and creating child-friendly spaces, providing children with a safe environment to play, learn, and heal, while supporting parents, caregivers and school personnel by trainings, mental health support sessions and necessary tools.  

Your generous donations have supported Plan International to deliver a comprehensive response in earthquake affected areas, and will continue to empower vulnerable communities to recover, rebuild, and chart a hopeful path forward amidst the challenges they face. 

WASH creating a safer environment for all 

As one of 300 displaced people living inside a shelter in Syria’s fourth largest city without proper WASH units, privacy was impossible.  

“Our lives were filled with challenging and distressing situations living in a collective shelter, particularly when it came to showering,” shares one resident. “We had to rely on the kindness of our relatives for a moment of privacy, as water was not always accessible, and power outages were a common occurrence, creating additional concern for our families. It was a hardship that made us feel vulnerable and exposed.” 

After assessing the most urgent needs of those living in the shelter, Plan International and ADRA installed proper gender specific wash units, consisting of 4 shower units for women and 4 shower units for men. 

Sara, a young woman living in the shelter called the shower installation a ‘transformative blessing’ – “Clean, accessible, and functioning water facilities have become a reality, providing us with the essentials for maintaining good health,” she shares. “Regular access to water has become a consistent aspect of our daily lives, and we no longer have to face the hardships of uncertain availability. We feel valued and respected. These shower facilities ensure that girls, in particular, have their privacy and protection while maintaining their dignity. No longer do we have to worry about disturbing on each other’s space, and we can comfortably cleanse ourselves in an environment that respects our need for privacy. This newfound sense of protection has lifted a heavy burden from our shoulders, and we feel safer and more secure within these walls.”  

When you make a donation to Plan International Australia, you are helping to create a world where all children can live happy and healthy lives, and where girls have equal opportunities.

DONATE NOW

 

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I had always assumed I was straight. Realising I was queer was much less an epiphany and much more simple mathematics. The realisation grew within me slowly, revealing itself in quiet moments. It wasn’t until I did the maths and added up my experiences that I came to my conclusion. I was bi.

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wear it purple day

Siena was a Plan International Australia Youth Activist in 2021.

Ihad always assumed I was straight. Realising I was queer was much less an epiphany and much more simple mathematics. The realisation grew within me slowly, revealing itself in quiet moments. It wasn’t until I did the maths and added up my experiences that I came to my conclusion. I was bi.

My queerness felt so comfortable, almost logical. Yes, I had strayed from the social default, but I’d embraced my default. It made sense. Despite the conservative values I was surrounded by at the time, I’d never doubted that my queerness was anything other than natural. I had a sense of myself that was so steadfast, nothing could shake it. Until it did.

I used to be that feminist. Outspoken, brave. When someone was out of line, I’d let them know. I expressed myself, my queerness without fear. There wasn’t a debate that happened without my input. But there is a cost for standing up for your values. I was convinced I owed it to myself, and my community, to pay that price. But over time my resolve eroded. One can only take so much abuse before cracks begin to show. And so, I began letting the homophobic slurs and the lewd comments pass. All the while, wrestling with the guilt that I was betraying my community in the name of self-preservation. Eventually I found a balance. One where I honoured my values by speaking out and protected myself by sitting out.

And then the virus hit. No, not COVID. Something more malicious than that. It’s March 2023, and Australia is preparing to host World Pride for the first time. It’s night, and a group of 30 men march along Newtown’s main street escorted by police. They’ve gathered at one of the queer hubs of Sydney to protest the LGBTQ+ community’s ‘lifestyle’. A week later in Sydney’s Victoria Park, supporters of an anti-trans speaker gather to hear her self-described transphobic views in broad daylight. Another week later, a group of anti-trans ‘activists’ perform Nazi salutes on the steps of Victoria’s state parliament. And just like that, the spaces we felt safe in are taken from us.

For my community, the world that we live in is becoming increasingly scary, even in Australia. I worry for my friends’ safety, for my own.

I remember in 2016 when I came out to my father. He gave me a hug and told me he loved me. But he had another expression on his face, so I asked him what it was. He said he was worried for me. At the time I almost laughed it off, ‘Dad, it’s 2016, times have changed.’ I didn’t understand why he was so concerned. Now I do.

This is why events like Wear it Purple Day matter. It’s a chance for the wider public to show they support an inclusive Australia. It’s an opportunity to be visible in your workplaces, in your communities and demonstrate your values. But remember, we need your support every day of the year. We want you to be an ally regardless of what day it is. And being an ally is simpler than you think – small actions go a long way.

Here’s some things that allies do that make me feel supported:

  • They call out inappropriate language without escalating the situation. This might mean a quiet word with someone after a meeting.
  • They ask for and use my pronouns. Even if it feels a little weird for them to say.
  • They hold space for me to share my experiences. They listen and affirm, without trying to problem solve.
  • They don’t expect me to educate them on queer topics. They may ask for my perspective, but they’ve done their own research. And they respect if I don’t want to share.

And finally, they make mistakes. We all do. The important thing is to keep trying our best, and to look out for one another. And with that, I’d like to wish you a happy Wear it Purple Day. Whether you are queer, questioning or an ally, I hope you can find a moment to reconnect with your values, and know that we’re in the fight for queer liberation together.

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When you donate to an appeal, you are actively helping us work towards a better tomorrow for girls and communities globally. Read on to find out how your donations have helped us respond to humanitarian emergencies and supported our work to end child marriage over the past six months.

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We appealed. You responded. 

Your donations are changing lives – find out how.

Our vision is for a world where every girl can access equal opportunities, and where all children can thrive. A world where children can go to school, live free of violence, and unleash their full potential. 

Your support is vital in making this vision a reality
and when you donate to an appeal, you are actively helping us work towards a better tomorrow for girls and communities globally.  

Read on to find out how your donations have helped us respond to humanitarian emergencies and supported our work to end child marriage over the past six months. 

You helped us make progress towards ending child marriage 

 Most recently, our tax time appeal called on you to help end child marriage in our lifetime. It’s a complex issue and change won’t happen overnight, but your support is critical in helping to progress the fight to end this harmful practice.

The tremendous outpouring of support for this appeal tells us that this is something our community really cares about – with your help, we reached an outstanding total of $352,353!!  

Your support will make a significant impact on young girls like 17-year-old Ashfia, from Bangladesh. Thanks to her involvement with Plan International’s Building a Better Future for Girls (BBFG) project, Ashfia was well aware of the consequences of child marriage and was able to use the knowledge she learnt to stop her own marriage. “I wanted to study, to go further,” she says. 
 

And Ashfia is now using her new-found knowledge and experience to benefit others – already she has helped prevent 19 other child marriages from happening in her community.

“I received life skills training from the youth forum and spread what I learnt to others,” she explains. “At the same time, I make other girls aware of the consequences of child marriage.” 

Your contributions will allow us to conduct community education sessions, establish safe spaces, and create support networks for girls at risk, so that they, like Ashfia, can finish their education and have the freedom to choose their own life path. We will able to provide critical training to teachers, healthcare workers, community leaders, and police about the risks of child marriage, strengthening our child protection work. Additionally, through your donations we will be able to provide critical counselling support and medical treatment to girls who have escaped child marriage helping them rebuild their lives and ensuring a brighter future. 

Additionally, through your donations we will be able to provide critical counselling support and medical treatment to girls who have escaped child marriage helping them rebuild their lives and ensuring a brighter future.  

Ending the practice of child marriage isn’t just about making sure girls and their communities know the risks, it’s about ensuring they have a support system that protects them – including an education – and an awareness that marriage isn’t their only option.   

Our target for this appeal – $400,000 – was ambitious and it’s an important reflection of our commitment to ending child marriage in our lifetime and continuing to make real progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals to end poverty, which includes ending child marriage.  

Progress is possible – we’ve seen it in the numbers: over the past 10 years child marriage has declined, from accounting for 23% of all marriages, to now accounting for 19%. We must continue supporting girls and their families, to ensure they can stay in school and make choices about their own futures.   

 

You helped to deliver
life-saving nutrition and
safe water to girls experiencing hunger  

For those in the grips of the hunger crisis, your generosity during our Autumn Appeal meant that girls and their families were able to access life-saving nutrition, safe water and cash vouchers, and your generous support saw us raise an incredible $64,737, surpassing our initial target of $60,000. 

When hunger strikes, girls are often fed the least and pulled out of school first, and the likelihood of early and forced marriage increases when food is scarce, as families are forced to make desperate choices to survive.  

Your contributions are already making a significant impact on girls like Arare, whose lives have been deeply affected by the hunger crisis. At just eight years old, Arare carries the burden of caring for her five younger siblings, doing her best to soothe her baby brother’s hunger and tears. Her parents struggle to find enough food, leaving them all in dire circumstances. 

Your support has allowed us to extend a helping hand to families like Arare’s, who are facing food and water shortages due to prolonged insecurity. Communities are experiencing the severest food and water scarcity in almost 40 years, with over 4 million people in Kenya left without a reliable source of food. This situation disproportionately affects women and girls like Arare, who bear the heavy responsibility of caring for their families during these challenging times. 

Thanks to your donations, we have been able to provide lifesaving cash vouchers and food rations to vulnerable families, ensuring their survival under these difficult circumstances.  

You helped us respond to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan   

 It has been just over 100 days since armed conflict began in Sudan, resulting in over 1,000 deaths and forcing 2.5 million people to flee their homes. Thanks to our passionate community and the $26,747 we raised, we have been able to deliver a lifesaving emergency response and expand our humanitarian operations in Sudan and neighbouring countries, providing vital supplies and services to those in need. 

In Sudan, thanks to your support we have provided essential supplies and services to children and families, including food, clean water, cash vouchers and critical resources. We are also offering child protection and education services, conducting awareness sessions on child protection and gender-based violence, and providing psychological aid and psychosocial support to families and at-risk women. 

In addition, we’ve identified and registered unaccompanied and separated children, distributed play and recreational materials to 2,900 children, and supported internally displaced individuals in six schools.  

Collaborating with the Egyptian Red Crescent, we’ve reached over 250,000 Sudanese people who sought safety in Egypt, providing life-saving essentials and helping families reconnect. This includes emergency cash transfers for medicine, menstrual health management kits, hygiene kits, child protection services, and prepaid SIM cards.  

In Chad, we’ve offered cash support to 700 families, while in the Central African Republic, we’ve been preparing for the arrival of Sudanese refugees by building family shelters, latrine/shower blocks, and organizing food distribution.  

Your donations have brought hope and relief to those facing unimaginable challenges during this crisis and will continue to help those affected and ensure the well-being of children and their families.  

Over the past six months, your support has been invaluable in our mission to reach as many vulnerable girls as possible and protect them from the devastating consequences of conflict, hunger and child marriage.

By donating to Plan International Australia, you are helping to create lasting change in the lives of countless communities around the world and supporting girls when they need it most.

Thank you for standing with us. 

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13-year old Fethia is a grade seven student in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where the rate of child marriage is five times that of the capital city. Plan International has been working with girls in Amhara and Sidama regions to increase their access to sexual and reproductive health services and enable them to make their own decisions about when and who to marry. 

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Peer educators helping to end child marriage

“Girls face various problems because of the communities attitude toward gender equality and child marriage.”

– Fethia, 13 years old, Ethiopia

When it comes to reducing the prevalence of child marriage, Ethiopia has seen significant progress in recent decades – between the 1980’s and 2015, the percentage of girls married by the age of 18 has fallen from 75 percent to 40 percent – but the current drought is derailing efforts to end the practice.

When food is scarce, the risk of child marriage increases. Desperate parents, struggling to provide for their children, often see the dowry paid by the husband’s family as a way to ease the burden on their own family.

13-year old Fethia is a grade seven student in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where the rate of child marriage is five times that of the capital city. Plan International has been working with girls in Amhara and Sidama regions to increase their access to sexual and reproductive health services and enable them to make their own decisions about when and who to marry. 

As a peer educator with Plan International’s ‘My Choice for My Life’ project, Fethia leads discussions at her school on topics including gender equality, child marriage and sexual reproductive health. The five-year project supports gender equality, adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights and child protection by engaging adolescent girls and women to become Champions of Change and working with boys and men to become partners of change.

“Girls face various problems because of the communities attitude toward gender equality and child marriage,” shares Fethia.

“A lot of girls dropout of high school because they are pressured into getting married. When girls are married off at an early age they are exposed to sexual and reproductive health issues. I personally know a girl who struggled with health issues as a result of her early marriage and childbirth. 

“Girls in our community are expected to do all the housework. They mainly spend their time fetching water, cleaning the house and cooking meals. Because they don’t have many domestic duties, boys spend their free time in the town. 

“There has been a noticeable difference in the community since the My Choice for My Life project began. Today, a lot of parents give both girls and boys equal opportunities. For instance, my parents treat my brother and me equally and we both do household tasks. My brother cleans the house as I make breakfast.”

“Due to the peer-to-peer sessions we facilitate, child marriage is declining at our school.

In the past, more than 20 students would drop out of school each year due to early marriage, but now relatively few students do so. Every time we hold a meeting, students are excited and eager to take part. 

“Girls today feel able to talk about themselves or whatever challenges they may be experiencing. If their parents are pressuring them into getting married, they tell us, the facilitators, or their teachers. We all know that forcing girls into marriage against their will is illegal and punishable by law, so if, for instance, my parents decide to push me into a marriage with someone else, I will know where to complain and what steps to take. 

“In our school, we have regular discussions about early marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and gender equality. We learn a lot from these conversations, and both my friends and I have changed our attitudes as a result.”

You can help girls free themselves from child marriage. 

Your support will help:

  1. train case workers who can intervene in suspected cases of forced child marriage
  2. create safe spaces, education and support networks so girls are supported to refuse marriage and build their own lives 
  3. provide medical treatment and counselling to help girls recover from child marriages 
  4. boost Plan International’s bold 5-year campaign to end forced and child marriage in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Donate by June 30 to help end
child marriage in our lifetime

DONATE NOW

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