Investing in Young Women and Girls: A Smart Choice
This year’s International Women’s Day arrives at a critical time. Across the globe, access to education, economic security, and health care is increasingly under threat for young women and girls, putting decades of progress at risk.
But investing in their futures isn’t just the right thing to do—it benefits everyone. A world where girls can thrive is a world that is safer, healthier, and more prosperous for all of us.
Why everyone should care
When girls have access to education and economic opportunities, entire communities prosper. Research from the World Bank shows that ensuring girls complete secondary school could add up to $30 trillion to the global economy.
The benefits are clear:
>Stronger economies
Every additional year of schooling increases a girl’s future earnings by
10–20%, helping to break cycles of poverty.
>Better health outcomes
When girls complete their education, maternal mortality rates drop,
and infant survival rates improve.
>Community-wide benefits
Training women and girls in technology drives inclusive, sustainable economic growth and keeps communities competitive in a changing world.
Girls' Rights Under Threat
What does a rollback of rights actually mean for girls?
No access to education
18 million fewer girls will attend school each year due to U.S. funding cuts alone. Global reductions will deepen the crisis.
Child marriage increasing after decades of decline
Each year, 12 million girls under 18 are forced into marriage. Today, more than 650 million women and girls worldwide were married as children.
Economic insecurity
4.7 million fewer women will have the opportunity to earn a living and support themselves and their families.
Unsafe living conditions
4.2 million fewer people will receive protection from violence. Female genital mutilation, which affects 230 million girls and women in 31 countries, has increased by 15% in the past eight years.
Reduced access to health care
21 million teen pregnancies, half unintended, and rising maternal deaths after a 34% decline.
How Women Are Resisting the Global Attack on Rights
From education and leadership to economic empowerment and climate action, women are driving change in their communities. This International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating three powerful women and girls shaping the future through Plan International initiatives:
Khadija: Breaking Barriers in Tech
At 18, Khadija faced a choice—marriage or education. With her family struggling to afford school fees, pursuing computer programming seemed impossible.
But she refused to give up. Now, as the first young woman in her Bangladeshi community to work professionally, she’s transforming her family’s future. “I used to be a burden to my family, but now they value my opinion,” she says. While earning her degree, she’s also funding her sister's education—proving that when girls have the chance to learn, they create change for generations.
Combatting Early Marriage in Bangladesh project
Khadija joined the Combatting Early Marriage in Bangladesh project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and Canadian supporters. The project provided vocational training, such as computer programming, and raised awareness of girls' rights to prevent early and forced marriages in Bangladesh, where 51% of girls are married before age 18 and 16% marry before 15.
Impact of this project
>Over six years, 12,000 child marriages were prevented.
>Girls’ decision-making on marriage and health rose from 25.6% to 66.2%.
>Percentage of youth who perceive boys and girls as equal went up by 26% for girls and 25% for boys.
Caroline: Reforesting Kenya, Empowering Women
Watch the Forest Mama in her element
Caroline is a mother, grandmother and fierce protector of the trees in Kenya’s Kaya Chonyi forest, located near her village in Kilifi County. “Every tree here holds a story,” she shares. As chairperson of the Tumaini conservation group (its name means “hope”), she works with other women in her community to grow seedlings for a forestation project with Plan International. “We’re the freedom fighters of clean air and good medicine,” she says.
The COSME Project
Plan is addressing environmental changes and supporting women's financial independence through COSME (Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems), launched with Global Affairs Canada, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, Cascadia Seaweed Corporation and the government of Kenya.
In this climate-affected coastal area, Plan trains 3,000 women in seaweed farming, mangrove restoration, and forest conservation. This helps women afford health care, send their children to school, and protect their communities from health and climate challenges.
Impact of the COSME project
>5,000 tree seedlings grown and sold.
>8,600 students educated on sustainable farming.
>6,767 solar water-purification kits purchased for distribution.
Watch the Forest Mama in her element
Farishta: A Voice for Afghan Girls
Watch and learn more about Girls Belong Here
“In Canada, I learned what rights mean,” says Farishta, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee who fled her homeland in 2021. After having to leave her community, she refused to be silenced – she has transformed her personal journey into a powerful advocacy mission for girls’ education and rights. Through Girls Belong Here, she’s ensuring Afghan girls are not forgotten.
The Girls Belong Here Program
Through Plan Canada’s Girls Belong Here program, Farishta hopes to continue to develop and strengthen leadership skills that help her advocate for girls in Afghanistan to go to school. The program connects young women with leadership opportunities, enabling them to develop skills and provide their perspectives as young, diverse global citizens to create meaningful social change.
Impact of the Girls Belong Here program
>312 youth have participated in Girls Belong Here since 2016.
>Participants gain leadership skills, expand their networks, and advocate for equality for girls.
>Alumni have stepped into leadership roles for several days at major organizations like: Aerie Foundation, AstraZeneca Canada, BMO, Corus Entertainment, Metrolinx and more.
Watch and learn more about Girls Belong Here
Join the Movement: How You Can Help
When girls have access to education, skills, and opportunities, they transform their own lives—and entire communities. Yet, millions of young women face barriers that limit their potential. You can change that.
Invest in Girls’ Futures
Your donation helps provide education, job training, and essential support to young women worldwide—empowering them to lead, earn, and create change.
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