Founded in 1937, Plan International is one of the oldest and largest charities working to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan has only one agenda: to improve the lives of children. Plan is also the organization behind Because I am a Girl, a global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls’ rights and lift millions of girls – and everyone around them – out of poverty.

Plan works in more than 80 countries around the globe, including developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. Last year, Plan’s work impacted the lives of 41.6 million children, including 22.2 million girls. Further, our humanitarian response work helped 22.4 million children and adults in communities experiencing crisis.

Your generous donation will help lift children out of poverty in developing countries around the world through programs that include:

• Education
• Health
• Humanitarian Response and Resilience
• Protection from Violence
• Youth Leadership and Economic Development.

Plan’s vision is of a world where children realize their full potential. With your help, we can make a difference!
 

At Plan International Canada, we are embarking on an ambitious campaign titled "Until We Are All Equal." This comprehensive initiative is designed to champion children’s rights and advance gender equality worldwide by addressing the pressing challenges children, particularly girls, face today. It is disheartening to note that currently, 122 million girls are out of school, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19, and approximately 12 million girls under the age of 18 are forced into marriage each year – equating to nearly one girl every two seconds. Our campaign aims to create sustainable change and empower marginalized communities through targeted interventions and strategic partnerships, focusing on enabling girls to realize their full potential. We firmly believe that now, more than ever, is the opportune moment to bolster our efforts and effect transformative outcomes. Last year alone, Plan International reached 41.6 million children, including 22.2 million girls. Our goal is to help improve the lives of 200 million girls in the next three years. We are helping girls experience what we all hope for in life: the chance to be safe, healthy, educated, and capable of caring for ourselves and the people we love. Advancing gender equity is a core pillar across our projects. For example, the “My Choice for My Life” project in Ethiopia prevented 12,000 adolescent marriages and enabled more than 100,00 girls to begin building a better future. Through this project, thousands of girls and young women have been able to refuse early marriage, increase their chances of staying healthy, continue their education and earn an income for themselves and their families. Another example is the “We Decide” project in Peru which reduced the teen pregnancy rate by 21% by building awareness about sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. The program offered teacher training and workshops, set up adolescent support groups in 49 schools and directly reached 95,744 people and indirectly reached 1,083,471 through social media and radio broadcasts. Your support plays a crucial role in enabling Plan International Canada to swiftly address emerging threats to equality. Every contribution to our "Until We Are All Equal" campaign, until June 30th, 2024, will be matched 3X, effectively tripling the impact of your investment. We kindly request your consideration to join us in supporting this campaign, empowering us to reach our goal of $2 million by June 30th. Your donation directly fuels our ongoing efforts to realize equality for girls and create a more just and equitable world for all. Thank you for considering supporting our initiative to create a more equitable and just world for all. 

Plan International has championed children’s education for over 80 years, supporting more than 22 million girls and young people to improve their lives in 2023 alone. As the negative effects of climate change on girls, children and youth are becoming increasingly clear, we recognize that addressing climate change is crucial because it exacerbates existing challenges and introduces new ones, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities, particularly women and children. The impacts of climate change threaten food security, health, and economic stability, highlighting the need for resilient infrastructure and sustainable livelihoods. Ignoring climate change runs the risk of undoing the progress already accomplished in international development efforts, emphasizing the necessity of integrating climate considerations to promote gender equality, environmental sustainability, and long-term resilience. With this in mind, we have launched our Conservation and Sustainable Management of Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project in Kenya, which is empowering women in climate-vulnerable areas by offering new climate-resilient livelihoods, from seaweed farming to forest conservation and mangrove restoration. In collaboration with partners like the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, Cascadia Seaweed (a Canadian company working with coastal First Nations to utilize Indigenous knowledge of ocean stewardship), and various Kenyan women’s rights groups, academic institutions, and local government bodies, COSME aims to enhance income generation, establish community savings groups, promote financial literacy, and improve access to clean energy technologies. This holistic approach not only mitigates environmental impact but also directly uplifts women and their families in vulnerable regions. In coastal areas of Kenya, communities dependent on delicate coastal and marine ecosystems are facing new challenges that compound their already precarious socioeconomic situation. As sea levels rise and severe weather events take their toll on Kenya’s rich natural resources, countless livelihoods — and the very wellbeing of coastal inhabitants — are at risk. While Kenya’s coastal resources are endangered, they are plentiful and ready to be cultivated in a thoughtful, sustainable way. COSME increases the capacity of communities, especially women, to lead nature-based solutions to climate change while providing economic opportunities. We are seeking crucial financial support for our three-year COSME project. Through your generous support, every dollar contributed to COSME will be matched 7X by our funding partner, Global Affairs Canada. This means that a donation of $10,000 will have a staggering $80,000 worth of impact. We kindly request your consideration to contribute to this project, helping us raise $2 million to improve the lives of 49,000 participants and directly support 26,000 women and girls to achieve equity while building climate resilient communities. Your donation will help: 1) Improve climate-resilient, equitable economies within communities in Kwale and Kilifi counties in Kenya and the Tanga and Pwani regions of Tanzania that rely on coastal and marine ecosystems. 2) Enhance adoption of socially inclusive, nature-based solutions (NbS) to address climate change and preserve biodiversity. 3) Increase agency among women to exercise their right to participate in these solutions. 4) Facilitate our collaboration with external partners, including the Jane Goodall Institute Canada, Cascadia Seaweed Corporation and Solvatten AB. 

At Plan International Canada, our Youth Leadership and Advocacy programming is supporting the next generation of global citizens in building their leadership skills to be effective change-makers. As an organization deeply committed to children’s rights, youth leadership, and gender equality both globally, we believe that collaborating with your foundation holds immense potential to amplify our impact and drive meaningful change. While Plan International Canada is recognized worldwide for our global initiatives, we also have a significant presence in Canada with programs dedicated to empowering youth. With an estimated 4.6 million young people aged 14-24 in the country, it's essential to recognize their importance in shaping our future. Despite this, youth are often left out of critical conversations, though they are often the most deeply impacted by decisions that leaders make. They are growing up with unprecedented global and pan-Canadian connectedness, but also political, economic, social, and environmental challenges. In the face of these challenges, we have seen that youth are passionate, determined, and globally minded. We have also heard that youth feel frustrated and disenfranchised when it comes to their ability to shape the future – a future that they will ultimately inherit. In Canada, young women face substantial barriers to leadership, such as harmful gender norms and discrimination. Plan International Canada research underscores this gap: only 10% of Canadian youth see a woman as a CEO, with women holding just 15% of CEO positions and representing 19.5% of board members in the top 500 Canadian companies. Additionally, women hold only 8.5% of the highest-paid positions in Canada’s top 100 listed companies and are 30% less likely than men to get promoted out of an entry-level job. Our youth programs are activating the global citizenship and unleashing the potential of the next generation of changemakers and leaders. At Plan International Canada, we are committed to building the confidence and community of young people, creating platforms for them to spark action on global issues, and amplify their voices so they can connect with Canadian and global decision-makers. One of our signature programs to build the confidence of young people in Canada, especially girls and young women, to have the power and conviction to take on leadership positions to change the world for the better, is The Power Within (TPW). This initiative is a partnership between Plan International Canada, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) and Unilever Canada. After a successful Phase 1 where we reached over 1 million young people in Canada, especially girls and gender diverse youth aged 10 to 17, and provided them with skills, knowledge, and resiliency to develop strong body confidence, self-esteem, and leadership skills. By challenging gender norms and beauty ideals, youth build leadership skills and advocate for gender equality. To scale our work, we are now embarking on an exciting 2-year extension phase where we will reach and support an additional 750,000 youth, serving equity-deserving communities such as 2SLGBTQ+ youth, youth in rural, remote, and Northern communities, as well building the capacity of educators, schools, and youth-serving organizations. We will also be building the public policy and advocacy capacity of 20 Youth Fellows to advance systemic change in promoting body confidence, self-esteem, and youth leadership in communities across Canada. At Plan International Canada, we believe in the inherent potential and power of girls, young women, and gender-diverse youth to lead change, belong wherever decisions are being made, and drive children’s rights, youth leadership, and gender equality for all. Since 2016, Plan International Canada’s Girls Belong Here program has been creating opportunities for self-identifying girls, young women, and gender-diverse youth to connect with leaders in civil society, the private sector, and government to gain exposure to new fields, share their perspectives on youth-focused approaches, and build meaningful relationships with mentors. Before being paired with senior leaders and executives, youth ambassadors are provided in-depth training to equip them with the tools and resources they need to succeed in the program and beyond throughout their leadership journey. This program is part of a global movement to amplify the voices of people who experience gender-based discrimination, advocate for their rights and elevate their position in society. The Power Within and Girls Belong Here represent a glimpse of the various initiatives Plan offers young people in Canada to become confident, engaged, and active global citizens in their communities and around the world. Your collaboration and support will help us amplify youth voices and enable youth to drive transformative change. We kindly request your consideration to contribute to our youth programming to help fuel our ongoing efforts to empower young individuals and foster Canada’s next generation of leaders, decision-makers, and changemakers. Together, we aim to promote gender equality, increase opportunities for youth to engage on issues impacting the world and Canada, develop their advocacy skills, and be inspired to innovate solutions that drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond.