March 25, 2024 (TORONTO) Every day, millions of girls around the world are denied access to education and health care, are forced to marry before the age of 18, live in extreme poverty and endure life in harrowing conflict zones. This is their reality, and Plan International Canada, a global charity working to advance children’s rights and equality for girls, is determined to change it.

Plan Canada has set a target to improve the lives of 30 million children, 15 million of them girls, around the world − part of Plan International’s global goal to reach 200 million girls worldwide − and is calling on Canadians to join its effort. The campaign, Until We Are All Equal, aims to raise $2 million before June 30, 2024.

“Imagine being a girl and being the last to eat and the first to be taken out of school, simply because you’re a girl. Imagine being forced to marry as a child. That is what millions of girls experience every day. That’s inequality! When girls are left behind, the world misses out,” warns Plan International Canada President and CEO Lindsay Glassco.

“The need to protect girls’ rights has never been greater. This work requires ensuring girls everywhere are safe from harm, have enough to eat, have the opportunity to go to school and are not forced into child marriage. It requires standing together with girls so that their incredible potential doesn’t only get recognized but is fully realized.”

Established in 1937, Plan International is a prominent advocate for children’s rights and equality for girls, operating in more than 80 countries worldwide. With input from experts, community leaders and girls themselves, Plan’s programs are designed to address the root causes of gender inequality in five priority areas: education, health, protection from violence, youth leadership and economic empowerment, and humanitarian response and resilience.

Globally…

• 122 million girls are out of school.
• The leading cause of death for girls 15 to 19 years old is pregnancy and childbirth complications and a lack of access to health care.
• 12 million girls under the age of 18 are forced to marry each year – that’s nearly one girl every two seconds.
• Nearly one in six girls and women live in an active conflict zone.

In 2023, Plan International reached more than 22 million girls and their communities and is setting an ambitious goal for the next three years to ensure that girls can learn, lead, decide and thrive. Building a more just and equal world starts with removing barriers that keep girls from participating in their communities and society.

Plan International Canada invites Canadians to help tackle today’s greatest challenges facing children, especially girls, by learning more and making a donation at PlanCanada.ca/Equal.

About Plan International Canada

Plan International Canada is a member of a global organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been building powerful partnerships with and for children for over 85 years and is now active in more than 80 countries.

We stand with children, especially girls, wherever they are oppressed, exploited, left behind or not equally valued. We’re determined optimists, and we will continue to persevere until we are all equal.

Visit PlanCanada.ca for more information.

Media contact

Plan International Canada
PR & Communications
PRteam@plancanada.ca