Plan International Helps Young Refugees Pursue Dreams

A Plan education program is helping one refugee from Mali strive for a better future.

 

When Hawa’s older sister arrived from Mali to a refugee camp in Burkina Faso in 2012, there were no secondary schools for her to attend.

She had no choice but to stay at home, and as a result, her family decided to marry her off. At just 16, she is already a mother.

“In my culture, children do not have the right to object to what their parents decide for them,” Hawa said. “All they have to do is accept it and put up [with it]. This situation is common in our community and a lot of girls like me are already married and pregnant.”

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Syrian Refugee Crisis: How Can You Help?

Plan International is taking an active role in responding to the needs of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled to Egypt in the midst of ongoing violence in their home country.

Plan has been granted special permission from the Egyptian government to work with refugees in the coastal city of Alexandria where it is currently developing a number of projects, including providing education, health, and sanitation services.

“We will be working with both vulnerable Syrian and Egyptian populations as a key measure to support the peaceful coexistence of the two communities,” said Ruairi McDermott, Plan’s country director in Egypt.

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Plan Works in Rwandan Refugee Camps to Stop Gender-Based Violence

Plan International will have a presence in all Rwandan refugee camps.

 

In an ongoing effort to protect human rights and secure the safety of the world’s most vulnerable people, Plan International announced in May that it would be supporting all of Rwanda’s refugee camps.

Plan will be coordinating its efforts with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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Plan International Reacts to Water Scarcity for South Sudan Refugees

Mary, a young refugee from South Sudan, needs to wait for hours every day for water.

 

At a refugee camp in northern Uganda, Mary sleeps with her four brothers under a tree. Tired and thirsty, she wakes up in the middle of the night to wait in line for water.

“This place has no water, and on a few occasions, a truck will bring some water and fill up the tank, but it’s a struggle to get it,” she said

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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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Syria Crisis Appeal

Children and families affected by the conflict in Syria are in dire need of help. There has been a dramatic deterioration in the crisis since the beginning of the year -– and the catastrophe is escalating every day.

There are an estimated three million people displaced in total and the number of refugees crossing the border from Syria into neighbouring countries has doubled -– to one million -– over the past three months.

Right now, hundreds of thousands of children need food, blankets, medicines, safe drinking water and psychological support. Just as importantly for their longer term development they also need the chance to live, play and learn safely -– and to enjoy the semblance of a normal childhood, even in a crisis like this.

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Malians Flee as Fighting Breaks Out

Plan says a swift response from the international community is needed to avert a humanitarian crisis

Scared Malians, mainly women and children, are on the move again following clashes between armed insurgents and the national army. They are fleeing towns such as Sévaré which is located 35 miles south of Konna – the town seized by armed insurgents on Friday.

“People are just fleeing Sévaré. They are leaving town using any transport available,” said Nouhoum Coulibaly director of GAAS Mali, a local partner of Plan Mali.

"Hundreds of displaced people are already arriving in Segou," said Bocoum Mamadou, Plan Mali's Program Unit Manager. Plan has a humanitarian operation in Segou which is located about 250 miles south of Sévaré. "They are mainly children and women from Sévaré and the Mopti region. They are exhausted and stressed,” he said.

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Mat weaving is the key to empowerment

For women in the Tabareybarey refugee camp, making money can be the key to their survival.

Life in a refugee camp is a far cry from life in a village. Refugees from the poorest village would ultimately prefer to return home to life in the camp. A refugee camp is the last resort, a place for shelter when the violence and oppression forces people to leave their homes. Tabareybarey is such a haven for the people leaving northern Mali.

Plan Niger, one of the leading organizations involved in camp management, has initiated several activities to promote income-generating activities for women and adolescent girls in the community.

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School canteen helps refugee children

Life in a refugee camp is neither shiny nor appealing, despite the tenacity and courage of some of the members of these communities who have dedicated their lives to supporting the efforts of the humanitarian organizations who provide them with community assistance.

This is the case of Agaichatou Hamadou Kina, a mother of five children from Gao in Mali. She found herself in the Tabareybarey refugee camp following the armed conflict in northern Mali.

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Plan's catch-up classes bring joy to children in the Damba refugee camp

From his picture, Ibrahim seems to be a regular teenage boy. He aspires to study and become a doctor. He enjoys sports and being with his family.

What you can’t see in the photo is that Ibrahim lives in the Damba refugee camp in Burkina Faso, set up to receive Tuaregs fleeing violence in northern Mali almost 8 months ago. His education has been on hold while his family and thousands of others wait for peace so they can return to their homes.

However, the political turmoil that is happening in Mali is not a challenge that will be quickly solved. The lives of refugee children, the next generation, cannot be stalled because of war and violence.

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