Who are Plan International Canada’s Celebrated Ambassadors and what do they do?

We’re thrilled to partner with Celebrated Ambassadors such as Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, actor Sarah Rafferty, and journalists Lisa LaFlamme and Farah Nasser, who lend their voices and platforms to champion girls’ rights and global equality. They amplify youth leaders’ messages and raise awareness of the barriers that girls face by supporting campaigns that help girls learn, lead, decide, and thrive.

Why is elevating girls’ voices critical to achieving girls’ equality?

Around the world, girls are already creating change in their communities. Plan proudly amplifies their voices to advocate for global change. Through our leadership and advocacy programming, young people interact with Canadian and global decision makers, such as government and UN representatives, to advocate for the social causes they care about. Together, we work to advance progress for issues related to girls’ and children’s rights, including international development, humanitarian action, and global cooperation.

How can young people in Canada get involved in Plan’s work and take action to support girls around the world?

Take action for girls’ rights by joining our Youth Hub. Here, you can discover how to participate in advocacy campaigns, find volunteer opportunities, or support global initiatives that promote girls’ rights.

How Maitreyi’s Twitch Fundraiser Brought Girls’ Voices to the Global Stage

What you need to know

Actor and Plan International Global Ambassador Maitreyi Ramakrishnan hosted her first‑ever fundraiser on Twitch, bringing together gaming and advocacy for girls’ rights.
The five-hour live event featured youth leaders from Ecuador, Timor‑Leste, Thailand, Canada, and Nigeria who shared powerful insights on education, disability inclusion, climate justice, and sustaining activism.
Nearly 10,000 viewers joined from around the world, and more than $10,000 was raised to support girls and communities globally.
Maitreyi’s celebrity friends Hasan Minhaj, Mindy Kaling, and Darren Barnet boosted excitement and donations, helping push the campaign over its goal.
Donations were directed to Plan’s Gifts of Hope program to buy gifts like Pads for Periods and Books.

Five moments that made Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Twitch fundraiser unforgettable

Actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s first-ever fundraising Twitch stream with Plan International Canada was filled with laughs, mic-drop moments, and undeniable good vibes. As a Plan International Global Ambassador, Maitreyi brought her passion for girls’ rights – and her gaming skills – to a live event that raised funds to support her top Gifts of Hope picks.

She was joined live by Plan International youth leaders from five countries to talk about what inspires their work and ways that other young people can take action.

Known for her breakout role in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever and her recent role in Freakier Friday, Mississauga’s Maitreyi has built a global following by showing up authentically on and off screen. Drawn to Plan International’s mission to champion children’s rights and equality for girls, she quickly became a natural partner in amplifying the causes she cares deeply about.

Maitreyi, who has been a supporter of Plan for five years, travelled to Tanzania in November 2023 to see a girls’ education program in action. There, she met with youth who participate in the project and learned how access to menstrual pads and bicycles help keep girls in school – insights that inspired her to bring her commitment to advancing equality for girls directly to her Twitch community.

If you weren’t one of the nearly 10,000 viewers who caught the event live, here are the moments we can’t stop thinking about.

1. Youth leaders from five countries shared how they advocate for girls’ rights

Five young leaders who support Plan International’s work around the world came together to share their perspectives. Joining live for real talk on topics like youth empowerment, intersectionality, and why community matters, they shed light on how they advocate for girls’ equality.

Angelina (Ecuador): Angelina opened by sharing her path into advocacy and how quality education can transform girls’ futures. She recalled a lightbulb moment while working with young people to define their dreams, realizing that schools must teach the skills that truly matter. For girls, education is an engine for freedom.

Livania (Timor-Leste): Livania offered powerful insights on building strong, inclusive communities, especially for people living with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ folks. She works hard to challenge the taboos that marginalized groups face and emphasized that real change starts with listening to people’s experiences, using inclusive language, and avoiding assumptions.

Tomoko (Thailand): Climate justice took centre stage as Tomoko described how Plan International programs helped her learn and take action using sustainable farming solutions in local Thai communities.

Lia (Canada): Having started her journey in Plan Canada’s Girls Belong Here program, Lia spoke about the power of community in sustaining activism and preventing burnout. She encouraged everyone to share the next great opportunity they come across with their networks. No gatekeeping!

Pelemo (Nigeria): Before closing out the livestream with an original poem, Pelemo reminded the audience of the importance of grace, patience, and truly listening – especially for people living with disabilities.

Maitreyi said she enjoyed each of the chats so much that she was “too amped up” and barely had any time to play her video game, Stardew Valley.

Screenshot image of two girls in livestream conversation on the platform Twitch. — Maitreyi chats with Pelemo, a youth activist from Nigeria, as the fundraising bar fills up and Maitreyi learns they’ve hit her $10,000 fundraising goal.

2. Pelemo’s poem became one of the night’s most powerful moments

Captivating the audience with her words, Nigerian artist and youth advocate Pelemo performed an original poem reflecting on inclusion. Her poetry resonated with the audience as she shared:

“We march in wheels and crutches when our legs get tired.
My people have never been feeble.
If we aren’t magic, then I don’t know what is.”

Maitreyi’s reaction said everything. She lit up with pure admiration for Pelemo’s words, snapping in amazement as she performed. Love poured in via the live chat:

I was actually entranced, that was beautiful Pelemo
That was amazing, Pelemo!
You really have a way with words!!! So talented!!

After nearly five hours on the livestream, Pelemo’s reflections reinvigorated the energy for everyone watching – and set the stage for an exciting announcement.

3. Donations surpassed the $10,000 goal

Excitement was high as Maitreyi learned that donations during the livestream had surpassed her fundraising target of $10K!

Thanks to generous donations – and Maitreyi, who matched the contributions – the fundraiser secured:

749 Pads for Periods gifts (with a 6x match)
530 Books (with a 4x match)
Additional life-changing Gifts of Hope

These will have a tangible and lasting impact on girls and communities worldwide.

Three girls smiling while standing outside in matching blue shirts. — Maitreyi was inspired by the youth she met during a visit in 2023 to a Plan International Champions of Change club in Geita, Tanzania. The experience helped shape the vision behind her Twitch fundraising stream.

4. Celebrity support helped amplify reach and momentum

Maitreyi’s network didn’t just add star power and level up the excitement. Hasan Minhaj and Mindy Kaling also generously boosted the donations, and the audience watched as the Tiltify fundraising bar filled up.

And when the stream hit the $6K mark? Maitreyi kept her promise and phoned her Never Have I Ever co-star Darren Barnet in L.A., where he revealed it was his first time ever on a livestream.

5. A global chat full of love and solidarity

Throughout the stream, the chat was buzzing with words of encouragement, gratitude, and inspiration.

One viewer summed it up perfectly: “Shoutout to people with big platforms who actually use them to make a difference in the world rather than just sitting back and doing nothing. Gotta be my favorite type of person!”

In response to Tomoko’s chat, one user shared: “That made me want to get started on advocacy, I’m motivated!”

The conversations connected – and the audience weighed in.

“Lia [from Canada] you are so well spoken, I hope one day I’ll get to see you speak on the global stage! Stay true, stay strong!!!”
“Supporting PLAN because of you, Livania [from Timor-Leste]. Stay strong in the fight!”

Maitreyi showed that this wasn’t just a Twitch stream – it was a global community showing up for girls’ rights in real time. As shared by these inspiring youth leaders, you’re never too young or too old to advocate for the causes you care about.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who are Plan International Canada’s Celebrated Ambassadors and what do they do?
We’re thrilled to partner with Celebrated Ambassadors such as Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, actor Sarah Rafferty, and journalists Lisa LaFlamme and Farah Nasser, who lend their voices and platforms to champion girls’ rights and global equality. They amplify youth leaders’ messages and raise awareness of the barriers that girls face by supporting campaigns that help girls learn, lead, decide, and thrive.
2. Why is elevating girls’ voices critical to achieving girls’ equality?
Around the world, girls are already creating change in their communities. Plan proudly amplifies their voices to advocate for global change. Through our leadership and advocacy programming, young people interact with Canadian and global decision makers, such as government and UN representatives, to advocate for the social causes they care about. Together, we work to advance progress for issues related to girls’ and children’s rights, including international development, humanitarian action, and global cooperation.
3. How can young people in Canada get involved in Plan’s work and take action to support girls around the world?
Take action for girls’ rights by joining our Youth Hub. Here, you can discover how to participate in advocacy campaigns, find volunteer opportunities, or support global initiatives that promote girls’ rights.