Region: Africa

Sponsor a child in Malawi

Sponsoring a child in Malawi with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Gertrude – a sponsor child in Malawi Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Malawi

 

  • Many children die of preventable or treatable diseases – 43,000 each year don’t live to see their fifth birthday.
  • Child marriage is widely accepted – one in two girls are married by 18.
  • Less than 10% of Malawian homes have electricity or piped water

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Malawi and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Malawi

Sponsor a child in Liberia

Sponsoring a child in Liberia with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Faith – a sponsor child in Liberia Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Liberia

 

  • More than three-quarters of the population are living in poverty.
  • More than two in three women cannot read or write.
  • Children suffering from chronic malnutrition: more than 42%.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Liberia and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Liberia

Sponsor a child in Kenya

Sponsoring a child in Kenya with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Mbata – a sponsor child in Kenya Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Kenya

 

  • Poverty in Kenya is being fueled by several factors, among them high unemployment, an HIV and AIDS epidemic and an education system in crisis. Children are suffering as a consequence.
  • Many children die of preventable or treatable diseases – 1.5 million each year don’t live to see their fifth birthday.
  • Around 70% of the population do not have adequate sanitation facilities.
  • Female genital mutilation is widely accepted – more than a quarter of women have been cut.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Kenya and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Kenya

Sponsor a child in Guinea-Bissau

Sponsoring a child in Guinea-Bissau with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Nhalim – a sponsor child in Guinea Bissau Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Guinea-Bissau

 

  • Nearly half the population are living in poverty.
  • Around 92% of people living in rural areas do not have adequate sanitation facilities.
  • Outbreaks of cholera are common, and because children are generally less thorough when washing their hands, they are particularly vulnerable to this potentially fatal disease.
  • More than 45% of the population cannot read or write – in some poorer areas 88% of females are illiterate.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Guinea-Bissau and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Guinea-Bissau

Sponsor a child in Ethiopia

Sponsoring a child in Ethiopia with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Yehuanna – a sponsor child in Ethiopia Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Ethiopia

 

  • More than 60% of the population in Ethiopia cannot read or write.
  • Child marriage is widely accepted – 41% of girls are married by the age of 18.
  • Many children die of preventable or treatable diseases – 205,000 children each year don’t live to see their fifth birthday.
  • Fewer than half of pregnant women in Ethiopia receive antenatal care, and a trained midwife attends a small fraction of deliveries.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Ethiopia and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Ethiopia

Sponsor a child in Egypt

Sponsoring a child in Egypt with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Reham – a sponsor child in Egypt Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Egypt

 

  • Currently there are over 200,000 refugees and asylum-seekers living in Egypt, the vast majority fleeing from Syria.
  • Sexual harassment and gender-based violence continues to be a serious problem for girls and young women, especially in urban areas.
  • Over a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.
  • Seventeen percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday and 2% are married before the age of 15.

How your support is helping create safer cities for girls in Egypt

 

Girls in Cairo are often harassed on their way to school — on public transport, when passing local businesses, or by boys or men waiting at the school gates. Our Safer Cities program is empowering girls and young women to work with their communities and the authorities to make their city a safer place. The program is also equipping girls with the skills they need to protect themselves against harassment, and encouraging them to speak out if they are harassed.

“By raising awareness among young people through Safer Cities, we’re creating a future where no one will have to drop out of school or be harassed,” explains Donia, a participant of Safer Cities in Cairo. “Girls have the right to an education too. We have the right to do everything boys do.”

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Egypt and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Egypt

Sponsor a child in Burkina Faso

Sponsoring a child in Burkina Faso with Plan International is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Sponsoring a child in Burkina Faso Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Burkina Faso

 

  • Drought is a persistent problem in Burkina Faso, and is worsening due to the effects of climate change.
  • More than 8 percent of all children die before the age of 5. The leading causes of death are lower respiratory infections, malaria, and diarrhea, due to contaminated water sources and poor sanitation in rural areas.
  • Forty percent of the population is living below the poverty line.
  • There has been increased insurgent violence in the past few years, particularly in the north and east, displacing more than 100,000 people.

How your support is helping children like Helène

 

It’s not hard for Helène, 19, to imagine how different life would be if she hadn’t received a scholarship through PEASS (Promoting Equality and Safety in School), a Plan International program focussing on girls’ rights, education, and ending gender-based violence.

“When I go back to my village, I’m saddened by the situation of other girls,” Helène says. “Most have dropped out of school and are married.”

Helène is helping to raise awareness, both near and far, about what girls can accomplish
with an education. In 2014, she visited the United States to attend a Plan International conference on child marriage, and last year she participated in the African Union Youth Summit in Ghana. None of this would have been possible without Plan International.

“This project has completely changed my life,” Helene says.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Burkina Faso and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Burkina Faso

Sponsor a child in Guinea

Sponsoring a child in Guinea with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Finda-Ivonne, a sponsor child from Guinea Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Guinea

 

  • Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 55% of the population lives below the poverty line. Poverty has enhanced extreme hunger, with almost 30% of the population suffering from chronic malnutrition.
  • Child marriage in Guinea has the eighth highest prevalence rate in the world. More than half of girls in Guinea are married before they turn 18, and 19% are married before they turn 15. Poverty, unequal access to education and religion also drive child marriage in the country.
  • Guinea’s education systems are deficient, and receiving an education is especially difficult for girls. Quality schooling and teaching needs improvement at all levels.
  • More than a quarter of people don’t have access to safe drinking water.
  • Each year 41,000 children don’t live to see their fifth birthday.

How your support is helping children in Guinea

 

The lack of access to quality education in Guinea puts children’s futures at risk. But because of sponsors like you, Plan International is able to provide school kits to children in need, ensuring access to educational supplies. Support from people like you also helps to increase school enrollment and primary school completion rates.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Guinea and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Guinea

Sponsor a child in Ghana

Sponsoring a child in Ghana with Plan International is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Priscilla – a sponsor child in Ghana Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Ghana

 

  • Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but nearly a quarter of the population is still living below the poverty line.
  • More than 5 million Ghanaians rely on surface water, which is often contaminated.
  • Waterborne diseases, like diarrhea, are one of the leading causes of death for children under the age of 5.
  • In rural areas, 91% of people lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

How your support is helping children like Fasila

 

You’re helping to make dreams come true for girls like 13-year-old Fasila. Born with a disability that made walking difficult, Fasila’s parents never sent her to school. Still, Fasila knew that’s where she belonged. So, when Plan International’s Reach program came to her village, she begged them to let her participate.

An accelerated learning approach, Reach helps excluded children in Ghana learn reading, writing and math over a nine-month period, so they can transition to primary school. Her parents relented, and Fasila thrived in the program. She graduated at the top of her class, proving she was right all along — her disability did not define her. Fasila is now in primary school, with her parents’ full support.

“I am determined to complete my education and become a nurse so that in the future, I will be able to encourage others who might also find themselves in my situation.”

 

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Ghana and support a whole community to thrive

 

Sponsor a child in Ghana

Sponsor a child in Cameroon

Sponsoring a child in Cameroon with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Roslin’s story Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Cameroon

 

  • Cameroon has the 19th highest under-five mortality rate in the world, with more than eight percent of children dying before they reach the age of 5.
  • Leading causes of death in the country are HIV, lower respiratory infections, malaria, and waterborne diseases, like diarrhea and cholera, due to contaminated water sources.
  • 31 percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday and 10% are married before the age of 15.
  • More than 65% of the rural population is living below the poverty line.
  • Violence has escalated between protesters in two English-speaking regions and the Cameroon government. Hundreds have died and over 400,000 were forced to flee their homes and move to safer areas.

How your support is helping children like Michelle

 

Michelle, 12, was one of the students who received textbooks and school supplies as part of the Rights, Resilience, and Sustainable Future project, which encourages strong academic performance during the school year and works to improve access to quality primary education services for children ages 6 to 15.

“After my studies, I will be a medical doctor,” Michelle declared proudly.

 

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Cameroon and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Cameroon

Sponsor a child in Benin

Sponsoring a child in Benin with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Sponsorship in Benin Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Benin

 

  • More than 10 percent of all children die before the age of 5. Malaria is a leading cause of death for young children.
  • Twenty-six percent of girls are married before they are 18 and 7 percent marry before the age of 15.
  • With half the population living on the coast, Benin is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and flooding.
  • More flooding will increase the spread of infectious disease like malaria, which already accounts for 40 percent of hospitalisations in the country.

How your support is helping children like Daouda

 

Daouda, 17, is a proud participant of Plan International’s Girl Power Program, which is challenging gender stereotypes and empowering young women.

“I’m lucky to have been selected for the football team as part of the project,” Daouda said. “We train several times a week and participate in workshops to strengthen our trust, learn to speak in public, and understand the rights of girls.”

The program also helps establish savings groups, so that young women like Daouda can prepare for their future. Daouda understands that education is key, and she plans to stay in school, instead of marrying young as so many girls do.

“I want to change lives,” Daouda said. “I am full of conviction for my studies and have won the respect of my parents – I will not fall pregnant!”

 

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Benin and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Benin

Sponsor a child in Zimbabwe

Sponsoring a child in Zimbabwe with Plan international is one of the easiest ways to improve the lives of all children and to make sure girls have access to equal opportunities.

 

By becoming a child sponsor, you guarantee a child – and all children in their community – have everything they need to grow, learn and plan for their futures.

 

Child sponsorship helps tackle the root causes of discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability, and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children to thrive.

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Meet Nomathemba – a sponsor child in Zimbabwe Play Video

Key Challenges for children in Zimbabwe

 

  • Zimbabwe has seen food shortages, poverty, high unemployment and political repression.
  • Around 60% of the population do not have adequate sanitation facilities.
  • Many children die of preventable or treatable diseases – 39,000 each year don’t live to see their fifth birthday.
  • Child marriage is widely accepted – nearly one in three girls are married by 18.

Yes, I’ll sponsor a child in Zimbabwe and support a whole community to thrive

Sponsor a child in Zimbabwe