The right to be heard - and to an education

On 9 October 2012, 14 year old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head because she is a girl and dared to defend every girl’s right to education. 10th December 2012 is Human Rights Day - its focus this year the right to be heard in public life and included in political decision-making. Malala paid a heavy price for trying to be heard. The attack on her sparked a wave of protests and condemnation across the world. The protests revealed a generation no longer willing to tolerate the gap between the promise of opportunity for all and reality.
 
For decades we have assumed the inevitability of the forward march of education, the inexorable year-on-year, continent-by-continent progress towards universal education. But if there is one reality that exposes our failure to deliver, it is that there are 61 million young children like Malala who will not go to school today or any other day. Written off at five and six years old, they will never come close to realizing their true potential.

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Plan International USA Acquires the Centre for Development and Population Activities

Plan International USA and the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) have entered into a formal asset acquisition agreement. In this innovative transaction, CEDPA will join talents and projects with Plan to strengthen existing programs and more effectively protect and promote the rights of women and children around the world.

CEDPA, an international NGO based in Washington, D.C., was one of the first organizations to focus specifically on issues relating to the development and advancement of women. For more than 37 years, CEDPA has transformed the lives of millions of women and girls, making them successful partners in the development of their countries by giving them the tools to improve their lives, and the lives of their family and community members. Program focus includes girls’ education and youth development, increasing access to lifesaving reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services, and strengthening women’s leadership.

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Literacy: It’s a fundamental human right

The ability to read and write is a powerful tool. Literacy presents children, youth and adults the skills they need to reach their full potential.

But literacy – something most Canadians learn during childhood – is often undervalued in some societies, leaving millions without these necessary skills.

According to the United Nations, trends show youth literacy has increased by about 6% globally over 20 years. This includes a 4% increase in males and 8% for females.

But despite the improvement in literacy rates, over 127 million youth around the world are still illiterate.

Take a look at how Plan is working to increase literacy rates and promote the importance of literacy with communities where we work.