“Give me a chance and I’ll take it from here”

This quote from a 12-year-old girl in Malawi is a great way to sum up the heart of Plan International’s success during 2013. Reflecting on our programs and initiatives at a local, national and global level it is clear providing children and young people with the skills and opportunities to transform their own futures is not just the right thing to do but is also the way to make the biggest impact. This approach and resulting success has been particularly visible through our Because I am a Girl campaign during 2013. Our campaign runs across all 71 countries where Plan works and aims to provide millions of girls with the education and skills to move them from poverty to opportunity.  Young people are playing a central role in the development, implementation and communication of this campaign which in its first full year directly affected 2 million girls and has resulted in us implementing 250 projects around the world to improve girls’ rights.

The power of young people to change the future

On Malala Day Plan was proud to partner with A World at School and ran youth led events around the world calling for action to enable more girls to access their right to education, as well as providing a significant youth delegation to the UN takeover.  Plan International youth helped formulate the UN Youth Resolution and used this on the day during a meeting with the Minister of Education in Pakistan and to develop a new youth coalition for education in Liberia.  Anyone who was lucky enough to be part of the day witnessed first-hand the power and potential of young people to change the future, if they are given the platform and opportunity to do so.

Through our projects we saw positive results to end school related gender based violence in 18 countries and to end child marriage in 19 countries. These both act as barriers to girls, and boys, from accessing a quality education, and much of the success again comes down to children and young people standing up for their own rights. For example, in Bangladesh Plan has been supporting children’s organizations to set up and run Child Marriage Free Zones, where children are confronting parents and stopping their friends from being married off before the age of 18.

Success builds from strong foundations

The success of the first full year of Because I am a Girl is only possible due to the strong 75 year foundation Plan has working to promote children’s rights. At Plan we focus on ensuring that the children who are most marginalized receive the education and protection they have a right to, and work to ensure they have access to services and decision making.

In 2013 we continued to focus our investment on the transformative power of education, spending nearly €90,000,000 on education projects which included training around 70,000 professional and volunteer education workers and supporting the structural development of 2,741 schools.

Looking ahead

As we look to the year ahead, education and the role of children and young people in achieving their own potential will continue to be a priority for the organization. We will be working with partners to launch a new education youth advocacy toolkit during April which will equip young people with the information and skills to effectively advocate for their right to an education. On the Day of the African child, under the banner of ourBecause I am a Girl campaign we will be working with young people across Africa to call for governments to deliver on their commitment and responsibility to provide a quality education for all, especially marginalised groups such as girls.

We will be working with other civil society organizations and the Global Partnership for Education to call for increased financial commitments to education and to the GPE. We will be working with the United National Girls Education Initiative to call on governments to undertake gender reviews of their national education sector plans, and fund the results, to improve gender equity rates in education.

How to achieve education for all

At Plan we believe education is an enabling right that helps all other elements of a child’s development. We also believe that the best way to achieve education for all is to listen and work with those who want their education, now. This year more than ever we are going to see children and young people seizing their own rights, helping them to be able to take it from here.

Plan International’s annual review for 2013 is out now.