Clowns Deliver Smiles and Laughter to Areas Hit by Typhoon

With the support of Plan International, Clowns Without Borders (CWB), an organization that uses humor as a means of providing psychosocial support to communities, has been providing smiles to the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines.

The community, which was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan six months ago in November 2013, is in need of laughter.

“During the Clowns Without Borders show, the clowns help children shift their attention from worries and fears and bring them back to moments of laughter and joy,” said Roy Tjan, Plan's Child Protection in Emergencies adviser. “Important messages about protection from violence and abuse, about friendship and health and hygiene can be integrated in funny sketches that are both attractive and entertaining for children. The shows enable children to be [children] again, be playful and relax for a while. This is vital for their well-being and it greatly contributes to children´s resilience after a disaster.”
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Plan International: Thousands of Central African Republic Refugee Children in Dire Need in Cameroon

YAOUNDE - More than 36,000 refugee children from the Central African Republic (CAR) have entered Cameroon and many of them are in dire need of nutrition and health care, says Plan International.

Children, some of whom are unaccompanied, have battled starvation, disease, and attacks on their way to Cameroon as they fled the ongoing brutal violence in the CAR.

“A number of children arriving at the border are on the brink of death with severe malnutrition and medical complications. The humanitarian agencies on the ground are stretched to their capacities as there are hundreds who need urgent attention,” said Famari Barro, Country Director of Plan in Cameroon.

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Typhoon Haiyan - six months on, we are rebuilding the Philippines together

Regino’s story

When Typhoon Haiyan hit Regino’s village, he clung to the rooftop of his house crying for help with his parents and six other brothers and sisters. Luckily, they all survived. But his house did not.

“During that night, we left most of our things behind,” says the twelve-year-old. "We grabbed the clothes we saw, but left most behind. I also had to leave most of my toys, my school bag and books. I brought with me a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and my yo-yo.”
In his village, 318 houses were destroyed.

Plan is helping Regino’s community get back on its feet by assisting with the reconstruction of his school and cash-for-work schemes. 

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Advocacy

Plan's work with children in over 66,000 communities gives us insight into the realities of the lives of boys and girls in developing countries, and the effectiveness of projects aimed at realising their rights.

Our advocacy work aims to share these insights to influence politicians and decision makers to ensure the development of policies and programmes that work for children around the world.

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Unconditional Cash Grants: Helping Communities in the Philippines Rebuild After Typhoon Haiyan

Individuals in the Philippines are being helped back on their feet by Plan International.

 

Six months after a deadly typhoon brought devastation and destruction to villages throughout the Philippines, community members are rebuilding – and they’re enlisting the help of Plan International.

Unconditional cash grants are one component of Plan’s broader program to provide support for immediate food security and livelihood for communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
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Plan International Calls for Action on the Abduction of the Nigerian Schoolgirls

"Plan International is extremely concerned that, nearly a month since the Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted, they and the other girls abducted a week ago still haven’t been freed. As a children's rights organization, we strongly condemn the multiple violations of these girls' rights, including their right to education, their right to protection, and their right to survival and development.

Every child, including all girls, has the right to learn in a safe and secure environment and to reach their full potential. Education is key to lifting children, families, and their communities out of poverty, and to ensuring that they have a better future. No one should deny a child their right to education.

Every day, the rights of children all over the world, especially girls, are violated. Not all of these make the news, but they are just as significant in their own way.

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Child Protection and Development Remain Urgent Priorities Following Typhoon Haiyan

Recovery Work Continues as 2014 Cyclone Season Looms.

 

MANILA - Six months after the largest storm to ever make landfall hit the Philippines, child protection and basic development needs remain urgent priorities for millions of children and families, according to the humanitarian organization Plan International. Plan - one of the leading agencies providing relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan - is emphasizing that the crucial work to rebuild communities and ensuring child protection continues, particularly as the 2014 Pacific cyclone season gets underway.
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Development education

Young people are a powerful force for change. Through development education we want to help schools, teachers and young people become more informed and aware of our world.

By understanding the issues and opportunities other young people around the world are facing, and seeing the influences and causes behind situations, young people are able to judge for themselves how best to create positive change.

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Plan International Helps Children Affected by Typhoon Haiyan Return to School

Back to School kits provided by Plan are helping children as they transition back to the classroom.

 

Since Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013, Plan International has been working with communities to send children back to school – but given the devastation, progress hasn’t been easy.

“This is where I used to sit in class,” said 13-year-old Eula as she pointed to a spot on the exposed concrete floor where her classroom once stood. The roof and walls are nowhere to be seen, having been destroyed by the force of the typhoon.
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FIFA World Cup, one month out: Plan reduces the risk of child trafficking

In Brazil, thousands of children are subjected to sexual exploitation every year – with fears more could be vulnerable as the 2014 FIFA World Cup approaches.

Unfortunately tourism is often linked with the sexual exploitation of children, due to an increasingly permissive atmosphere and the use of hotels at this time.
“While the World Cup is a joyful time, it also exposes vulnerable young children and adolescents to violence and sexual exploitation,” says Anette Trompeter, Plan International’s National Director in Brazil.

“Plan’s goal is to prevent this exploitation by raising awareness about the issue and opening doors to vulnerable children to help develop their potential,” she adds.

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Thank you for all your donations, with your help we have been able to supply life-saving aid to the people of the Philippines Thanks to your generosity Plan International has been able to:

• Help over 190,000 children resume their education with back-to-school kits.
• Give nearly 23,000 families received shelter kits for rebuilding homes
• Assist 1,500,000 people who benefitted from food distribution.

From Twigs to brooms, six months after Typhoon Haiyan

There is a saying in the Philippines that one coconut tree twig will achieve nothing but together they become a strong broom.  In the six months since Typhoon Haiyan devastated the lives of more than 14 million people living in the Philippines a massive joint agency support effort continues the mammoth task to restore and rebuild the lives of the people affected by the storm.

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Campaigning for change

We’re passionate about achieving positive change, with and for, boys and girls in the poorest countries. We believe everyone has a contribution to make.

Our campaigns mobilise people to put pressure on decision makers to take action to benefit girls and boys living in poverty - from changing laws and spending choices to transforming practice and behaviour.

Our campaigning involves mass public action, research, lobbying, communications and events.

Learn how our campaigning works to have real impact on the lives of children and communities – and find out what you can do.

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Making Strides Against Malaria in Cameroon

Aissatou Maliki of Cameroon has been a witness to far too much tragedy.

Between 2000 and 2011, eight children from her extended family died as a result of malaria.

"My cousins died in succession,” she said. “We did not know the cause of death. It was only later that we realized, thanks to the advice of the Community Based Organizations (CBOs), that malaria was killing them.”Læs mere her!

Goals for a better life

Brazil is a country particularly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation, it is in fact the second most reported crime against children in Brazil. Latest Unicef statistics recently reported 250,000 child victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the country, with the majority of victims aged between 10 and 14.

This is a cause for particular concern during global sporting events where there is often a short-term spike in demand for prostitution.  In response to this, child protection charities have seen a direct impact on exploitation of vulnerable children.  Plan International’s National Director in Brazil, Annette Trompeter commented: “Unfortunately tourism is often linked with the sexual exploitation of children, due to an increasingly permissive atmosphere and the use of hotels.
 
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Anti-malaria bed nets 101: What are they and who needs them?

Here at Plan, we take our fight against malaria seriously. That’s because malaria kills over 600,000 people every year. For that reason, we understand the power of anti-malaria bed nets. But do you?

Thousands of lives could be saved every year if all children under the age of 5 in Africa slept under an anti-malaria bed net. It’s that simple. Watch as our ambassador, Rick Mercer explains why bed nets are so important.

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Children's voices

In all aspects of Plan’s work, we value children's ability and right to participate in decisions about issues that affect them.

Children represent about a third of the world's population. Providing opportunities for children and young people to articulate their views and access information is integral to Plan's work, including children's involvement with media projects.

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The Shirt On Your Back - A look inside the Bangladesh garment industry

Exactly one year ago today, 1,138 textile workers in Bangladesh lost their lives when the overcrowded factory they worked in on the outskirts of Dhaka collapsed. In this powerful interactive presentation, the Guardian takes a look inside the Bangladesh garment industry. 

The Rana Plaza tragedy highlighted the atrocious safety conditions of the garment trade in Bangladesh, a $19 billion per year industry that employs around four million people – 90% of them female and many of them children. 

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What is the world’s deadliest creature?

It’s not a big animal, and it doesn’t have sharp teeth. You won’t find it caged up at the zoo or lurking in the snow – nope! It may surprise you to learn that the world’s deadliest creature is the mosquito.

Believe us, it’s true! Mosquitoes kill 2 million people every year. That’s more than sharks, snakes, hippopotamuses, grizzly bears and crocodiles combined. If you’re shocked, wait until you hear what’s next.

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On the road - Megan's Cycle for Girls

To celebrate her 40th birthday, Megan set off on the trip of a lifetime – one that would change her life, and the lives of millions of girls aruond the world who are denied an education. Cycle for Girls takes adventurers through stunning Cambodia and Vietnam as they raise vital funds for Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign.

Because I am a Girl aims to educate and empower girls so they can transform their own lives and the world around them. You can cycle for girls, too! Register your interest for the October trip today
– be quick, places are limited. 

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Building skills for life

We help marginalised young people to thrive in a changing world by building their ‘skills for life’: their ability to protect and look after themselves, make a living and make informed life choices.

Plan UK’s focus is on adolescents aged 10 to 18, and on girls in particular. There are 500 million adolescent girls in the developing world.

Adolescence is a time of key transitions, but too often these go wrong for girls: dropping out from school before reaching secondary level; or poor quality education; early or forced marriage; exposure to violence, abuse and HIV infection; early motherhood and high maternal mortality, danger of death in childbirth or health complications.

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Sisters find safe refuge in South Sudan

At a safe space set up for children, two sisters quietly hold one another while other children play around them. Their silence catches Berhe's attention. “Among the children, there were two that really stayed with me,” says Berhe, Plan’s Food Security Expert. “You can see in their faces that what they saw was grave.” 

The two girls were Lina, age 4, and Madiha, age 9*. Lina is clutching her blue bunny rabbit, as Madiha musters up the courage to tell Berhe her story. She saw armed men attacking everything, killing everyone in sight. At their hometown in Bor, just before New Year’s Eve on 28 December, armed men seized the girls’ mum and dad. Later that day, the parents were shot dead at close range. Madiha witnessed the whole event. 

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Plan International: We Must Continue the Fight to End Preventable Malaria Deaths Across Africa

WASHINGTON - Efforts to stop millions of children dying needlessly from malaria must continue, children’s organization Plan International warns.

As World Malaria Day approaches on April 25th, Plan reiterates the need for continued financial efforts in Africa to help at-risk populations, in particular children under five-years-old and pregnant women, get access to prevention and treatment for malaria.

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Bring back our girls: abducted Nigerian schoolgirls need the world's attention

Three weeks ago, around 200 Nigerian girls were kidnapped from a boarding school. Plan is extremely concerned about the welfare of these girls.   Governments, donors and the humanitarian community have a duty to protect adolescent girls. Plan's thoughts and solidarity are with the missing school girls, their families and friends. Add your voice of support through social media channels by using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

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Disasters

Every year, over 175 million children are affected by disasters, and this number is expected to multiply threefold over the next decade due to climate change, environmental degradation, poverty and population growth.

Plan’s disaster risk management work promotes an innovative and effective humanitarian approach to tackling the escalation of disasters affecting today’s children, their families and future generations.

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A safe space for girls to grow online

The internet and information technology widens access to learning, enhances the quality of education and empowers users with new skills and opportunities.  Recent research by Intel Corporation and backed by data from the U.S State Department and UN Women found nearly 25% fewer women and girls are online than men and boys, and this gender gap climbs to above 45% in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. The report issues a call to double the number of women and girls online in developing countries from 600 million today to 1.2 billion in 3 years.

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Seven ways Plan is improving children's access to health around the world

Empowering girls to understand the risks of early pregnancy in Zambia

Operating health centres in Indonesia

Building toilets in Timor Leste

Empowering women to educate other mothers about the importance of health in Sri Lanka

Reducing the rate of mother and child deaths in Cambodia

Every child deserves the right to health. 
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Eradicting female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone

At the age of 16 Christiana was forced to marry a man older than her father and to take part in a secret FGM ceremony to initiate her into womanhood. “All the women in our family have been initiated. They were preparing me for marriage. The man who wanted to marry me told my family into initiate me into the secret society. I was not pleased about that because my granny who raised me was not around. When we went there I was so afraid. I almost fainted in the process. I was really painful, that was why I was so afraid. ”

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Plan UK

Throughout the last year the focus of each month has been different covering all of Plan International's core areas and campaigns: education, health, water and sanitation, protection, economic security, emergencies, child participation and sexual health, including HIV, Because I am a Girl, Count Every Child and Learn Without Fear.

Over the next six months, until the end of June, the focus will change to specific Plan foundraising countries and what they do.

The focus of May is Plan UK

Right to health: what you need to know

Children who access their rights have the best start to life. But what are child rights, and why is health one of them? Here's what you need to know about every child’s right to health, no matter where in the world they are. 

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The goal shooter: Christine's story

A year ago Christine’s form on the netball field plummeted. For the passionate 15-year-old who was once hailed her school’s best player, this was devastating.

“I was so careful, I feared to move, I wouldn’t jump or scatter my legs,” says the teenager who lives in the rural town of Tororo in eastern Uganda.

“I was afraid and worried because I didn’t know what was happening to me. The first time I got sick, I would just lie still, be quiet and sleep. I was in so much pain.” 

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Children bear the brunt of climate change

Children will be severely affected by climate change in Eastern and Southern Africa, warns a report released by Plan and Practical Action. The effects of climate conditions are becoming visible by the day, and children are experiencing them the most, the report states. Children bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences of climate change such as an increase in hunger, disease, population displacements and resource-based conflicts. For example, the report says, the time spent to access safe water is increasing.

For 75% of the households in the study it required 30 minutes to get to a water source and for 18% it took between two and three hours. Women (63%) and children under five years (25%) were more affected by water shortages. ‘Sometimes women have to camp overnight near the waterholes until they fill up again, exposing them to a series of risks,’ the report says.

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