Plan International Canada

Here are three global citizens you should know for #InternationalWomensDay: Mahdia , Yvonne Bejjani, and Arany Thirukumar. These three young women, part of our Girls Belong Here program, are turning advocacy into action across Canada. They are championing the rights of women and girls around the world, even as they watch many of the rights won by their mothers and grandmothers being rolled back. Their courage, resilience and leadership in the face of challenges remind us why investing in girls creates a stronger and more stable world for everyone. Girls Belong Here is Plan Canada’s signature domestic program that connects young women with mentorship and leadership opportunities. As the youth bring their ideas and fresh perspectives to organizations and leaders across Canada, they are in turn gaining the skills and platforms to drive real change on a global level. Read their stories, get inspired and join us in fast-tracking progress toward a more equal world. 🔗https://bit.ly/3FaitHu #IWD2025 #GirlsEquality #UntilWeAreAllEqual #GirlsBelongHere

How are girls and women unequally impacted by climate change? Girls and women are most often responsible for taking care of their families. When crises like a drought or flood disrupt normal daily life, this burden only gets harder to bear. Girls and women are often the last to eat when food is scarce and sometimes go hungry because they’re not valued or treated the same as boys and men. In a drought, they don’t have the clean water to manage their periods safely. In a flood, they’re losing their safe space, exposing them to increased risk of gender-based violence when they’re forced to seeking shelter elsewhere. How we’re helping support girls and women: 🔹 Distributing life-saving essentials like food, water and cash assistance, so girls and women do not have to travel long and dangerous distances to get what they need.  🔹 Supporting girls' education so parents no longer have to choose between keeping their child in school and early marriage In Tanzania, we’re working to shift attitudes so girls’ education is seen as more important than a family receiving dowries while also making sure girls can travel long distances safely to get to school by giving them bicycles. 🔹 Upskilling girls and women to adapt to a changing environment. In Kenya, we’re working with 3,000 women to farm seaweed and restore forests that are vital to their ecosystems and incomes. Discover how girls and women are unequally affected by climate change and what we’re doing to help here: https://bit.ly/3FeS5fp #ClimateChange #GenderbasedViolence #GirlsRights

Any cuts to funding will make our work supporting children’s rights and equality for girls even harder, with consequences for communities around the world. “At current rates of progress, it will take 134 years to achieve gender equality,” says Kathleen Sherwin, chief strategy and engagement officer for Plan International. “Working with girls, women and their allies, we can and have made so many advances in recent years — improving girls’ chances of going to school, living free from violence and reducing their risk of marrying while they are children. But this progress is fragile, uneven and constantly under threat. “Plan International remains steadfast in our commitment to achieve a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Our work must continue, and we are resolute that we will continue to stand with girls.” Read our full statement: https://bit.ly/4ijpWSW #GirlsRights #UntilWeAreAllEqual #HumanitarianAid #ChildrensRights

We’re thrilled to welcome a new cohort of passionate, driven and inspiring young women to Girls Belong Here—our signature program that has been breaking barriers and making space for girls in leadership for nine years! 💡 What is Girls Belong Here? Girls Belong Here is part of a global movement to amplify youth voices and advocate for girls’ to be in leadership and decision-making spaces, not just in Canada, but around the world. Through this program, girls and young women partner with leaders in business, government and non-profits and discuss issues that matter to all of us. This year, we’re thanking partners Aerie by AEO, Inc., Brother Canada, Corus Entertainment , Metrolinx, The Samara Centre for Democracy, and Cooperation Canada for their participation and commitment to making space for women and young girls across the board. With every young voice amplified, we move closer to a world where girls’ equality isn’t just a goal—it’s a reality. Stay tuned to follow along with some of these experiences. 💬 Join us in celebrating the next generation of leaders and learn more about Girls Belong Here at the link: https://bit.ly/4bBKVyh #GirlsBelongHere #YouthLeadership #IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay Antora Saha Arany Thirukumar Bianca Marzan Chantal Campbell Danielle Louzado Farishta Samim Kaia Newman Kanisha Lala Mahidia Ebrahimi Maryam Imran Mehak P. Mehak Warring Savannah Cavalho Shreya Rao Tara Abdelnour

What does the word equality mean to our staff? Many things. Watch their answers (and reactions!) in this new fun video, then dig into our Annual Report to see the impact of equality on millions of lives in 2024. We want to hear from you too! How do you define equality? Explore our 2024 Annual Report here: https://bit.ly/4klMxAa Jeri B., Divya Sangar #PoweredByEquality #AnnualReport #UntilWeAreAllEqual

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we’re sharing the stories of girls and young women who are determined to make the world a better place – for themselves and everyone around them. At a time when girls’ and women’s rights are increasingly under threat around the world, we hope these stories inspire hope and show that many people are continuing to work hard for #EqualRights. Visit our International Women’s Day page to learn more about Caroline, Khadija and Zénabou: https://bit.ly/4hRNeiJ #WomensRights #InternationalWomensDay #GirlsEquality #UntilWeAreAllEqual #GirlsBelongHere 

February 24 marks three years since a devastating war escalated in Ukraine. Everyday life has been replaced with constant fear and uncertainty, and an entire generation of children has lost their safe and happy childhood. The conflict has forcibly displaced millions of people, destroyed infrastructure and created severe challenges to access essential services. Currently, an estimated 12.7 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian assistance, including almost 2 million children.     Between the war and the COVID-19 pandemic, children in Ukraine have faced FIVE consecutive years of disrupted schooling   Why? Because ... 😷 2 years of school was interrupted because of social distancing orders 🏠 More than three million children have been forced from their homes since February 2022 📚 Nearly 30 % of the country’s schools have been damaged – with more than 365 of them destroyed That means around 4.6 million children aren't able to learn like they normally would – children like 12-year-old Polina, whose classes moved online because of air raids and missile strikes. “...Children are not only missing out on learning – they are losing vital opportunities to socialize, express themselves, and process the trauma they are enduring,” says Anastasiia Parubets, Plan International’s Education in Emergencies specialist in Ukraine. Polina now attends a Safe Learning Space and, with Plan International's support, she’s getting educational and psychosocial aid. Plan’s emergency teams also continue to assist thousands of refugees at the borders of Poland, Moldova and Romania. Your support can help provide lifesaving support and relief amid the chaos for young people like Polina in Ukraine. Donate here: https://bit.ly/3ELLyZs #EducationInEmergencies #Ukraine #WarInUkraine

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth we hosted an exciting "CEO for the Day" initiative! Sandrine Batonga-Danteu, MPH joined our CEO Lindsay Glassco for a day filled with meaningful work. Read more about their day below 👇

How do you plant a tree? 🌳 According to Caroline Kiti, you must do so “Happily, so that it will grow healthy.” “You are taking care of it like your child,” says the Kenyan community leader determined to restore Kenya’s sacred Kaya Chonyi forest. This forest has been a vital eco-system protecting her village for as long as she can remember. Over the years, Caroline watched as the traditions they once followed to protect the forest fell away. The trees of her childhood were threatened by timber harvesting and land clearing that left the forest barren and desolate. Through Plan International’s Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (COSME) project, Caroline and the local conservation group she leads were able to break this cycle. Now they’re working to bring this UNESCO World Heritage Site back to its former glory. Not only did the group replant trees to replenish the forest, they also: 🍊🥭 Grew trees to provide fresh fruit and shade to their community ⚽ Promoted teamwork between men and women – on and off the field – through soccer matches 🌱 Helped families send their children to school by selling the seedlings they tended to Plan International to be replanted in the forest Learn more about how forest restoration transformed a community here: https://bit.ly/4149OxG #Kenya #COSME #ClimateChange Plan International Kenya

This Valentine’s Day calls for some extra love in the air ❤️. Our hearts belong to those who support our mission to foster lasting change in children's rights and equality for girls.🌟 Curious how our shared devotion has made a difference together? Head over to our Annual Report to see a highlight reel of all the progress we’ve made last year (including with our LEARN Plus project) 📊💌: https://bit.ly/40Rr9ti Pelemo Nyajo, Ineza Umuhoza Grace, Farah Nasser, Cynthia Appiah OLY #ValentinesDay #PoweredByEquality #UntilWeAreAllEqual #GirlsRights