Education isn’t just a pillar; it’s the foundation upon which a more equal world for all is built.
More than 120 million girs are missing out on their fundamental right to receive an education.
In low-income countries, only 21% of girls and 26% of boys complete secondary school.
One out of every six children globally isn’t in school. In the poorest countries, the numbers are even worse, and most often girls bear the brunt of this.
At Plan International, we work toward a vision where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow and dream big. Our projects support early-childhood learning to improve school readiness and accelerated learning for children to catch up on missed schooling due to conflict. We train teachers to better address the specific needs of girls and vulnerable children and provide skills training so youth can transition to work and support themselves. We are experts at providing education in crisis-affected areas and ensuring the safety and protection of children in school.
“I want to learn here and be a great woman in society, and I believe that I can do it through education.”
– Poria
Sixteen-year-old Poria is raising the bar high for herself and her friends in Kenya. In this short film, she explains how an unexpected offer from a kind neighbour set her on a course to transform herself and her community.
We help support children from preschool to high school and beyond. We break down barriers, and we especially focus on levelling the playing field for girls. Because a girl who completes secondary school can earn 2x that of a girl with no education.
We’re not just shaping young minds – we’re investing in a brighter, more promising future. And we’re dedicated to tearing down four of the top barriers for girls:
Girls who get married in adolescence are up to six times more likely to be out of school. Girls married before the age of 15 are almost 50% more likely to experience physical or sexual intimate-partner violence than those married after 18.
When girls walk long distances to school, they can experience violence or endure harassment. Every year, 246 million children experience gender-based violence in or around their school.
“Last year, a staggering 1.7 billion children endured emotional, physical and sexual violence. That is unacceptable.”
–Tanja Suvilaakso, director of program technical quality, Plan International Canada
At home, girls are often asked to put their books aside and help with family care and housework, taking away precious learning time. In many communities around the world, educating boys is considered more important than educating girls, so when resources are scarce, girls are pulled from the classroom – or never sent in the first place.
Where there is conflict and violence, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than girls in areas without conflict. Conflict and crises increase poverty, displace families and sometimes directly threaten children’s safety at school.
Three ways we are realizing the right to education
Girls should have the same shot at education as anyone else. Here’s what we do to ensure gender-transformative and inclusive education opportunities:
Plan International Canada applies the Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment Index to measure gender-transformative shifts that are influenced by social norms, attitudes and behaviours.
“The index is our compass in the complex journey of gender-transformative and inclusive change,” says Saadya Hamdani, director of gender equality and inclusion at Plan International Canada. “It gives us the signposts to see the depth and breadth of our impact on the path to equality.”
Children miss school for all sorts of reasons, from conflict to illness to poverty and responsibilities at home. Missing even one year of school can undermine a child’s learning and development, so it is critical that even in the most acute of emergencies, education is prioritized and children are offered pathways of re-entry.
Plan International aims to ensure that children who have, for any reason, missed a period of education are able to catch up. Our accelerated-learning programs teach literacy and math skills in a condensed time frame so students can bridge any gaps in their learning. The accelerated-learning programs prepare students to re-enter the formal school system and rejoin their peers in regular classes. This approach is extremely effective in emergency contexts when schools have been forced to close or when children have had to flee their homes.
Plan International’s Education in Emergencies programs provide gender-transformative and inclusive education options that cater to the unique needs of children caught in the chaos of a humanitarian or climate crisis. Not only do these programs reduce how much a crisis can disrupt a child’s education, they also provide a safe space for children to play, process and heal after they have experienced something traumatic.
School gives children a safe place where they’re protected from physical harm, early marriage and exploitation.
Children learn about things that could save their lives, like how to prevent diseases and eat healthily and where to go for help when they’re in trouble.
Beyond their ABCs, children learn essential life skills like confidence and handling conflict. They also learn about their rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability and what to do in an emergency or climate disaster.
It’s a stabilizing influence that promotes children’s mental health and socio-emotional well-being.
Our vision is for every child to have the opportunity to learn, grow and dream big. Education isn’t just a pillar – it’s the foundation upon which a more equal world for all is built. See below for highlights from a few of our education projects.
Refugee Education and
Development (READ)
Cameroon, Niger
Ghana Education
Outcomes Project (Team Up)
Ghana
Adapting, Testing,
and Scaling the Proven Summer Pre-Primary Model in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Tanzania
(LEARN Plus)
Cambodia, Laos, Tanzania
Strengthening Girls’
Rights to Complete Their Education Safely and on Time in Burkina Faso
(FASST)
Burkina Faso
Teacher Training for
Inclusive Girls’ Education (TTIGE)
Sierra Leone
We invested roughly $200 million in education initiatives around the world.
We helped achieve a 90% transition rate for children in Ghana who enrolled and stayed in school because of our programming, with a major increase in literacy and numeracy outcomes for children in the same program.
We developed, scaled and rolled out our Gender-Responsive Pedagogy Teacher Training, which integrates gender equality throughout core teaching skills.
We helped 330,000 out-of-school children access education.
We developed, piloted and scaled new innovations in education, particularly in accelerated education (giving children who were forced to drop out of school because of conflict a chance to catch up on missed learning and re-enrol in school) and integration of technology to bring education to those previously cut off (for example, using pre-loaded tablets to bring learning materials to remote communities).
In the past five years, our education programming has reached more than 2.3 million children, including 1.2 million girls.
We extend our deepest thanks to our partners who consistently and generously support education around the world. Their contributions are the foundation of our mission, enabling us to help transform the lives of children worldwide. Without them, none of this would be possible.
Plan International implements all projects and programming in partnership with local, national and community-based organizations. This includes women’s rights organizations, youth-led organizations and research institutions. Plan International also works in collaboration with governments, where relevant, at national and local levels. More details on local implementing partners can be found within the descriptions of each project.
Whether it’s a one-time contribution or an ongoing monthly donation, your support helps us address the greatest needs facing children, especially girls, today.
Provide school supplies for one student or an entire classroom. Explore the many ways you can support girls’ education through our Gifts of Hope.
The best time to address an emergency is before it happens. We’ll be ready to act immediately to protect children’s education when crises strike thanks to your contribution to our Children in Crisis Response Fund.
Explore our programs with this collection of resources, including cutting-edge research, lessons learned and personal stories of change.
If you’re curious about our programs, interested in exploring how you can join in or have a question about the impact of your support, we’re here to help! Get in touch and learn how you can make an impact in the lives of children.
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