Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Actor, advocate and Global Ambassador for Plan International Canada

Actor & Global Celebrated Ambassador to Plan International Canada

You may know Maitreyi Ramakrishnan from her starring role in Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, but did you know that she is also a passionate champion for girls’ rights around the world?

Since becoming a Global Celebrated Ambassador in 2020, Maitreyi has been helping create a world where children – especially girls – learn, lead, decide and thrive.

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to stand up and speak out for the people this world has left behind. Like the millions of girls who can’t get to school safely or who are forced into child marriage or denied their rights to health care. I’m using my voice to bring attention and action to the countless injustices and barriers girls still face around the world.” –Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

We tackle the root causes of gender inequality. We work with local partners to advocate for children and support them in their right to get an education and be healthy and protected from violence.

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Are you ready to take action on the issues that matter most? The Plan International Canada Youth Hub is your community – a space to connect, learn, and lead alongside other passionate changemakers.

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Visiting Tanzania with Maitreyi

Plan International Canada staff joined Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, our Global Celebrated Ambassador, on a trip to Geita, Tanzania, to see how period products and bicycles are helping girls stay in school.

Stigma. Shame. Secrets. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan doesn’t have time for any of it – period.

Growing up in Mississauga, the Plan Canada Global Ambassador and star of Never Have I Ever says, she heard her fair share of menstruation myths. But unlike some of the teens Maitreyi met during a recent trip to Tanzania, her periods didn’t prevent her from going to school. The loud and proud advocate to #endperiodstigma spent time with teens like Edinah and learned that access to period products helps keep girls in school. She also joined students in sewing reusable pads.

Maitreyi traverses bumpy roads to reach girls who are biking their way to a better destination.

In remote parts of Tanzania, girls can walk up to eight kilometres a day to attend school. Often this means taking dark paths where they’re at risk of harm and harassment. That cycle is shifting, thanks to 500 donated bikes. Take a spin alongside Maitreyi and see how the proud owners of these new wheels, like Ezra, are charting faster, safer routes to reach their top-gear goals.