Change for girls
By joining our regular-giving program, Change for Girls, you’re supporting girls and their families around the world to thrive. When girls are educated and supported, their entire family and community benefits.
Photo: Girl in her school uniform bought with support from youth club members. © Plan International
Change for Girls supports our work in addressing the immediate needs of girls and their families, and the deep-rooted barriers to gender equality. Your regular donation can mean girls and young women around the world are free from violence and have choices for their futures.
When girls are educated and supported,
they can create incredible change.
- 12 years of education for every girl would reduce child marriage worldwide by 64 per cent.
- For every year a girl stays in school, her country’s climate resilience measurably improves.
- 5 to 10% is how much infant mortality rates are reduced for every additional year of school that a girl completes.
Why Girls?
Girls have the potential to change the world.
Stories Of Powerful Young Women
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“So far, none of my friends or any other girls my age have been forced to undergo FGM or get married. Because of our work, that practice has been stopped – taking younger girls to be initiated. I have not seen that happen since I have been part of the activist group and it is a great feeling to know that I am helping to make a difference.”
Marie is a 15-year-old from Sierra Leone and the daughter of a former practitioner of female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite her mother’s involvement with the practice, Marie has become an outspoken advocate against FGM and has refused to undergo the procedure.
Marie’s activism has had a profound impact on her mother, who both supported Marie’s refusal to undergo FGM and stopped practicing the procedure on others.
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At just 15 years old, Huyen is already a champion of change in her community, leading numerous initiatives to end child, early and forced marriage in Vietnam’s Lai Chau province.
Growing up in a poor ethnic family, Huyen understands the importance of education more than most. After helping with household chores and field work, she focuses her energy on her studies. With hard work and dedication, Huyen is top of her class and has won district and provincial awards for her academic excellence.
“I am lucky compared to many of my friends who had to drop out of school,” says Huyen. “It’s unfair because without school they can’t learn the skills they need to make a living, so they will continue to suffer, a fate their children will also face.”
Huyen is part of Plan International’s Time to Act! project, which supports youth leadership to end child, early and forced marriage. Young people from ethnic minorities are most likely to be subjected to early marriage, so they should be recognised as key actors in driving positive change against harmful social norms.
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As a young girl, Maria says she never thought about playing football at school or in her neighbourhood because she thought it was only for boys and men.
“Boys can play football whenever they want, but we girls cannot do the same,” she says. “We don’t have any facilities or fields to play football on, it’s just for the boys and men.”
Lembata in Indonesia is a patriarchal society with clear divisions between men and women. Women and girls are constrained by long-standing traditional gender norms that prevent them from exercising their rights and taking advantage of opportunities in education, work and leadership.
Girls’ football is a great way to improve social empowerment, engage girls in the community and help develop their self-confidence and assertiveness. When girls have the confidence, skills and resources, they can take control of their lives and make their own choices.
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Marie is creating long-lasting change in her community
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The young reporter leading change in her community
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How football is breaking down gender barriers in Indonesia
Frequently Asked Questions
A gift every four weeks can create long-term transformation for girls. When you join Change for Girls, you’re part of a community of incredible people who are making the world a more equal one; one where girls can stay in school, choose if and when to marry, find meaningful work, have a say in their communities and be free from fear and violence.
When girls are educated and supported – their entire family and community benefits, including boys and men. Because gender inequality affects absolutely everyone. By standing with girls and supporting them to speak up, know their rights and lead, we’re working towards a better, more equal world for all.
Not only do our programs work with boys and girls, providing access to services that support them through emergencies, conflicts, poverty, violence, abuse, or exploitation – our programs also challenge gender norms and stereotypes so that everyone is able to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential, regardless of their gender.
We are so grateful for the generosity of our supporters who help create change for girls, and are always excited to share stories of the incredible and powerful girls that we’re supporting.
Your gift could fund our programs that support girls to access education and critical health services. It can provide families living in poverty with everything they need to keep their families healthy and safe, it can provide safe spaces where girls can learn about their rights, gain life skills, and get the support they need to overcome the barriers holding them back.
You can view the latest version of our Annual Report to see snapshots of our global work, examples of how we’re working towards our goals and commitments, and details about our finances for the last financial year.