Plan International USA wrote -

Summary

A global initiative for Plan International, Because I am a Girl is a multi-faceted program that will directly improve the lives of 4 million girls in the developing world by 2015. Based on decades of experience and in-depth research, we know that changing the lives of girls changes the world. Community driven projects will address the areas most critical to women and girls: clean water, food security, healthcare, education, microfinance, and protection from violence and exploitation.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Girls in developing countries face overwhelming odds from the moment they are born. They are more likely than boys to suffer from malnutrition; be forced into an early marriage; be subject to violence; be trafficked, sold, or coerced into the sex trade; or become infected with HIV. Often denied access to education and health care, girls languish behind their male counterparts.

How will this project solve this problem?

Three components will work together to create significant and sustainable change. Community driven projects will address the areas most critical to women and girls. Working with service providers and governments we will promote gender equality and girls' rights. Finally, a rigorous measurement and evaluation process will demonstrate that these projects are truly making a difference by tracking the level of change in the lives of girls.

Potential Long Term Impact

Experience and research consistently show that improving the lives of girls also lifts the condition of their families and their communities. Quite simply, investing in girls is the key to breaking the cycle of global poverty. Girls can change the world. But they can't do it without support.

Project Message

"In my village, all the young girls of my generation have not had the chance to go to school and to go to university like me...My wish is that all the girls in my village are kept in school."
- Malado B., A 20 year-old girl attending University of Bamako

Our Projects
Education

• Ethiopia: Promoting African Grass-Roots Economic Security through Education and Skills Project
• Burkina Faso: Girl Friendly Schools Project
• Liberia: Scholarship Assistance for Disadvantaged Girls in Primary and Secondary Schools Project

Microfinance

• Vietnam: Village Savings and Loans for Women Project
• Sierra Leone: Girl Power Program
• Bolivia: Girl Power Program
• Tanzania: Microfinance Project

Protection

• India: Combating Child Labor in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar Project
• Nepal: Fighting Against Child Trafficking and Gender Based Violence (FACT & GBV) Project
• El Salvador: Girls Promoting Reduction of Gender Violence Project
• Egypt: Empowering Girls to Learn and Abandonment of Early Marriage Project
• Bangladesh: Protecting Human Rights Project

Health

• Indonesia: Improve Maternal and Child Nutrition Project
• Senegal: Community Health Project
• Ethiopia: Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and Enhancement of Reproduction Health in Guinea Forest Region Project

Leadership Skills

• Ghana: Girls Making Media Project