Plan International Canada

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Until We Are All Equal, what does it mean? At Plan International Canada, we recognize that the world falls short of being an equitable place for children, especially girls. But we also know that a better future is possible. That’s why, with your support, we will continue to work until girls are valued equally to boys; and have the freedom to shape their own lives.  Last year alone we reached 6.2 million children, 3.2 million of them being girls. We worked with young people around the world to improve:  Health  Education  Protection from Violence  Humanitarian Response  Youth Leadership and Economic Empowerment And together, we won’t stop until we are all equal.    But what does that mean for people who are working hard every day to make this happen? We asked a few of our staff what Until We Are Equal means to them.  Which leads us to our next question... What does Until We Are All Equal mean to you? Not sure? Learn more about the greatest challenges girls face and donate here: https://bit.ly/4ckaQcr

No pupil in Gaza has been able to attend school since November 2023, when the academic year was suspended after the escalation of conflict on October 7. An estimated 625,000 school-aged children in Gaza are missing out on lessons as a result, with this month marking the start of a second lost school year. We urge the international community to take immediate action to safeguard education in conflict zones and hold those responsible for grave violations to account. Donate to our Children in Crisis Response Fund here: https://bit.ly/3SHwqk9 #CeasefireNow #Gaza

We’re honoured that our mini-doc Salma has been selected for the Imagine This Women's International Film Festival in New York this September. Salma lost her hearing as a child, but going to school has opened new doors for her. In the Borno and Yobe regions of Nigeria, thousands of girls are unable to go to school because of disruptions or displacement, or because girls’ education isn’t valued. “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher,” signs Salma. “I don’t think anything can stop me.” (We don’t either!) This film was made as part of our Embedded Storytellers program at Plan International Canada. We work with in-country filmmakers to highlight participants in our projects. For this mini-doc, esteemed Nigerian filmmaker Ike Nnaebue acted as mentor to young filmmaker Aimalohi Ojeamiren. The film was shot on an iPhone. Click here to watch the full documentary: https://lnkd.in/gsiPQT8t Plan International Nigeria Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada #ImagineThisWomensFilmFestival #comingsoon #filmmakers #ITWIFF #ITWIFF24 #NYC #film #embeddedstorytellers

So long 35% period tax 🩸 in Ghana 👋 After nearly four years of advocating to remove the taxes on menstrual pads, Plan International Youth Advocacy and Leadership participant Shirley Awudu Amankwah joins her fellow college students in celebrating a big victory. In 2023, the youth pressed decision makers to address this taxing issue at the Global Forum for Adolescents, part of the PMNCH campaign. The issue they wanted to fix? The high cost of menstrual products that meant Ghanaian women making minimum wage had to spend 13.2% of their monthly income to buy supplies for just ONE menstrual cycle. After hearing from the youth activists, the Ministry of Health in Ghana signed a list of key commitments, including a commitment to bring the costs down by scrapping the taxes on menstrual health products 🙌 🎉. “Having this commitment gives us something tangible to hold onto, to be able to say that yes, indeed, we are being heard,” says Amankwah. Read more about this big step for youth and even bigger step to conquering period poverty here: https://bit.ly/3StVsTy Plan International Ghana, Fondation Botnar #Ghanaperiodtax #pinktax #periodpoverty #goodnews #youthadvocacy

This year's #GenderEqualOlympics is historic, but the work isn't over. Women athletes make up nearly 50% of the participants in the games for the first time ever. That’s remarkable progress, but true equality will be achieved when women have freedom to choose what they wear and are not restricted by policies like the hijab ban, when all girls have equal access to sports without any barriers to entry, and when safety is ensured both online and in sporting facilities. Great to hear women athletes using their platform to speak up for equality in sports.

Period products and bikes, donkeys on the soccer field and eating mangos 🥭 with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. On an unforgettable trip to Tanzania, Global Celebrated Ambassador and actor Maitreyi joined our staff members Angie and Kristi on a visit to the Keeping Adolescent Girls in School (KAGIS) project. The project is dedicated to addressing the daunting obstacles that keep girls from getting the education they deserve and is carried out in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada. Together, the trio saw the partnership between Plan Tanzania and young people in schools and communities. The group also joined in a tour of a dormitory, attended a KAGIS-supported soccer match and made reusable pads with students in a menstrual health club. Check out Angie and Kristi’s firsthand account of the trip here: https://bit.ly/3y0Cz3T #Tanzania #periodproducts #genderequality

The #2024Paris #Olympics don’t start until tomorrow, but we’re already celebrating a major win for girls’ equality! For the first time since the start of the Games in 1896, the same number of male and female athletes will be competing. This major milestone shows young girls watching everywhere that women have the ability and the right to compete on the world stage. “When I play football [soccer], I try my hardest so the communities can see what we girls are capable of when given the chance and the support we need to grow and thrive,” 15-year-old Jesca tells us from Tanzania. Jesca is in a football league organized as part of our Keeping Adolescent Girls in School (KAGIS) project in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. Now in its second year, the project is using sports to reach more than 4,000 youth and help change limiting beliefs about girls’ physical abilities. When girls compete and win in sports, they can gain the confidence to challenge other negative attitudes holding them back, like their right to an education. That’s why celebrating women on a global scale is so important. Kudos to the International Olympic Committee – IOC for working so hard to get us here. You can also help young girls like Jesca by donating sports supplies to help level the playing field. Just $24 can cover equipment and uniforms – and your donation will be matched 2x! Click the link: https://bit.ly/3WaujpQ

A recent report from @PlanGlobal and @CNN reveals that one in four girls has faced discrimination or hate speech online. This must change. Click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/3zQQ0DM

With the #ParisOlympics 🏅 quickly approaching, we can’t help but look at the more than 11,000 male and female athletes preparing to compete and think about how sports helps fight gender inequality. From track and field to Canadian favourite hockey 🏒, sports can build community, confidence and respect. But more specifically, we’re thinking about the Indigenous women in Bolivia who wear traditional floor length skirts (polleras) when they play soccer ⚽. The game has helped change attitudes between both men and women in the town of Pucarani, on and off the field. Playing soccer has helped them recognize the macho culture and identify different types of violence in their community. In partnership with Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada @PlanInternational has also been running workshops through our Achieving Reproductive Rights for Bolivian Adolescents project (ARRIBA) to promote equality and prevent violence within the community. “Women have many ideas, but we weren’t allowed to speak,” says Adela, one of the soccer players. “I didn’t know how to defend myself from sexism and violence. But these workshops showed me how.” To learn more about our work and the committed women’s rights activist and community leader part of the charge, click here: https://bit.ly/4d7ccrT #paris2024 #soccer #futbol #football #genderequality #Bolivia