Archives: Media Releases

In the Economic Survey 2017-18, under chapter 7, Gender and Son Meta – Preference: Is Development itself an Antidote, highlights the first ever estimate of the number of ‘unwanted’ girls in India (girls whose parents wanted a boy but had a girl instead) – at 21 million. The number has been arrived at by looking at the sex ratio of the last child which is heavily male-skewed. The Survey points out that the huge number of ‘unwanted girls’ (in the 0-25 age group) is a direct outcome of the ‘son meta preference’ where parents do not stop having children until they have a son.

In some sense, once born, the lives of women are improving but society still appears to want fewer of them to be born. Though this meta-preference of son adds to the number of girls, but it is to be duly noted that these girls and women are often neglected, less resourced and less skilled, adding to the spectrum of vulnerabilities that girls face. It also leads to uneven demographic distribution in sex ratio, thus placing the girls in vulnerable situations in terms of protection, opportunities and healthy behaviours.

This was evident in the Gender Vulnerability Index 2017 study (a report by Plan India) which attempted to identify India’s current status across the four dimensions of Education, Health, Poverty and Protection by using 170 indicators. The report shows that only 73.14% female are literate, and 68.8% female ever attended school. Only 35.7% women completed 10 or more years of schooling, and 6.3% women are graduates.

Plan India has been working towards the holistic development and advancement of girls for more than four decades. It has been implementing impactful and innovative programmes on education, early childhood care, youth employment household economy and income generation that ensures children, girls and women are bolstered to realise their full potential and also access their rights. Through some of our initiatives such as GARV, Lets Girl Be Born, Safer Cities, Missing Child Alert and Meri Beti, Meri Shakti – wherein gender equality, gender violence, gender transformation and importance of gender sensitive environment are strongly addressed, we are noting positive changes in terms of an attitudinal and behaviour shift towards the girl child. We will continue to work for girls’ rights as it is at the very core of our commitment which is to impact the lives of 10 million girls by 2020 and advocate for their equality, inclusion and empowerment.

We are optimistic that through a collaborative approach and strategic partnership with the government, civil society, corporate, media and the youth, we will be able to bring about a paradigm shift and aim for a world wherein, girls can learn, lead, decide and thrive.

The conference aims to bring to the forefront issues faced by marginalised girls and deliberate on solutions for inclusion, access and opportunity

A ‘Gender Vulnerability Index’ was launched on the first day of the conference

New Delhi, November 1, 2017 – Building on the success of the first National Conference, Plan India, in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organising the 2nd National Conference on ‘Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind’ from November 1- 3, 2017 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The conference will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from the government, United Nations, international experts, educational institutions and other international agencies, to deliberate on solutions for inclusion, access and opportunities for girls from marginalised backgrounds and vulnerable circumstances.

Ms. Aastha Saxena Khatwani, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony of the conference. Other acclaimed speakers at the conference included Anna Roy, Advisor, NITI Aayog; Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson, Plan India Governing Board; Tessie San Martin, President and CEO, Plan International USA; Shabana Azmi, celebrated actress and social activist; Sergei Kapinos, Representative for South Asia, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Bilali Camara, Representative – India, UNAIDS , among others. Justice Madan B. Lokur of the Supreme Court of India was also present at the conference to release the Gender Vulnerability Index report.

Commenting on Plan India’s focused efforts on marginalised and vulnerable children, particularly girls, Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India added, “Aiming at an inclusive, multidimensional and sustainable approach, we are emphasising that this campaign will further engage globally, influence nationally and act locally. This year, the campaign is focusing on solutions for improving the inclusion, access and opportunities for girls, with a particular focus on some key vulnerable groups. Keeping in mind that these categories and issues surrounding them are inter-related and cannot be seen in isolation, while acknowledging that there has to be a specific focus on solutions specific to each category of vulnerability.”

Last year, the Plan for Every Child Conference focussed on Children in Difficult Circumstances which was led by state and regional consultations with multiple stakeholders. This year, youth across the country were engaged through a series of inspiring debates. The aim was to engage with young people to understand their perspective as well as garner their suggestions and solution focused on inclusion, access and opportunity, and by addressing gender inequality.

The debates and deliberations were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Patna and Hyderabad, which brought together the voices of over 200 youth from across the country to discuss prioritised issues related to vulnerable girls and deliberate on possible solutions. The winners of the regional debatathons will share their views and debate solutions during the national conference.

The first day of the conference was culminated with the launch of Plan India’s Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI), which is first of its kind in the country. Through the GVI, Plan India has analysed the situation of girls and women taking into consideration four dimensions – Protection, Poverty, Education and Health, and developed a multidimensional composite index with over 170 indicators. This index will be useful in understanding the situation in states, as it ranks each state in every dimension of gender vulnerability.

The second day of the conference will largely focus on the session by the youth who will present their views on the identified priority issues related to marginalised girls and discuss the way forward towards inclusion and gender transformation.

The three-day conference will also feature multiple sessions, presentations and discussions on various issues related to vulnerable, marginalised and excluded girls, including human trafficking, violence, development of girls in disturbed areas and in care and protection homes, girls in forced labour, street-connected girls, and girls coping with natural disasters and climate change, among others.

Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind

Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind campaign is a movement to support the 2030 SDGs through children’s rights with special emphasis on equality for girls. Under the campaign, efforts are made to ensure that government and civil society come together to provide opportunities to scale best practices, design specialised schemes and advocate towards gender transformative changes at all levels, to address all needs for a more equitable world for girls in general and for girls in difficult circumstances, in particular.

About Plan India

Plan India is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities. For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. For more information, please visit: www.planindia.org .

The charter was presented to Ramesh Negi, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR)

Delhi, October 25, 2017: In line with the global commitment to leave no one behind while advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, as well as the Government of India’s focus on inclusion and ‘putting the last child first’, Plan India has been actively supporting children’s rights with a special emphasis on equality for girls, through its campaign – Plan For Every Child (P4EC), launched in 2016.

As part of this year’s efforts, Plan India, in collaboration with its technical partner Pravah, is organising state-level debatathons, where youth from various parts of the country will discuss gender issues and challenges, ideas for bringing about gender transformative changes and debate on possible solutions to address the issues. Suggestions and deliberations from these state level youth debates will be translated into state youth charters, which will be presented at the National P4EC Conference, to be held from November 1 – 3, 2017 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, where the winners will come together to debate on the solutions at the grand finale.

The fifth edition of this state debatathon was organised in Delhi from October 23 – 25, 2017, where 23 youth participants in the age group of 18-24 from various colleges and universities, engaged in debates to discuss prioritised issues of young girls in vulnerable situations, with a focus on possible solutions. At the end of the debates, the participants put together a state youth charter with specific recommendations on quality education and child labor, which was presented to Ramesh Negi, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).

To ensure that No Girl is Left Behind, the Delhi chapter of the youth charter made the following specific recommendations:

On Addressing Quality Education:

• Ensure schools have clean toilets for girls and safe drinking water for everyone. Also ensure provision of free access to sanitary napkins for all girls, specifically from middle school onwards.
• Include comprehensi

ve sex education in school curriculums (middle school onwards) to break social taboos and stigmas.

• Ensure mandatory parent-teacher meetings once in two months to enhance parent and teacher accountability.
• Conduct periodic school audits/inspections involving School Management Committees to prevent dropouts of girls. For example, audits could be conducted using the framework of indicators mentioned in Plan India’s Gender Vulnerability Index.
• Reform school curriculums by introducing experiential and skill based learning processes.
• Effective implementation of a student-teacher ratio of 1:30, as per the Right to Education (RTE) Act laid down by the government.
• Ensure girls having access to trained counsellors in school to have a space where they can discuss their issues. School to also make counselling outreach services available in their communities.
• Provide subject specific remedial support to girl students within schools. Also take support from community members and NGOs to create informal spaces to offer learning opportunities like dance, music, arts etc.
• Create safe and informal spaces for strengthening student and teacher relationships.
• Budget allocation for education should be increased to 6% of GDP.

On Addressing Issues of Child Labor:

• Build awareness through social media and mass media about the various forms of child labor and the laws against child labor. Also involve eminent scholars, individuals and domain experts to host workshops about the issue in schools and universities to build more awareness.
• Recognize people who report cases of child labor, to assist in government monitoring.
• Develop nuanced guidelines for differentiating between child work and child labor.
• Provide residential education programs as rehabilitation for children who have been rescued from child labor, and include vocational training in the curriculum for strengthening possibilities of job opportunities.
• Address child labor issues in the mandate of the National Service Scheme (NSS) or youth clubs that run in institutions of knowledge.
• Actively participate and generate awareness on Anti-Child Labor Day (June 12) via youth groups, organizations and schools/universities.
• Identify high-priority areas for potential child labor and host focused integrated development programmes (on education, health and livelihood trainings) for children who are likely to get into child labor in each block.
• Develop and publicize an app that tracks the progress of children who have been rescued from child labor.
• Establish and strengthen community-based child protection mechanisms under the arena of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, where village/ward level child protection committees could be formed to eliminate child labor.

Commenting on this initiative, Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director Plan India, said, “For nearly four decades, Plan India has provided spaces for youth to continuously engage, inform and govern programmes implemented in their communities. They raise their voice to influence different stakeholders on issues that affect them and the lives of children. This initiative aims to also engage youth outside our programme areas, so that they participate in larger discourse, raise awareness and advocate for girls’ rights.”

These state-level debatathons will culminate in the National P4EC Conference, which will bring forth the voices of 200 youth from across the country. The conference will focus specifically on girls in marginalised, excluded and vulnerable situations, and will present the interface of inclusion, access and opportunities for girls within marginalised groups.

For more information on the campaign, please visit: www.planindia.org

About the Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind (P4EC) Campaign

Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind (P4EC) campaign is a movement to support the 2030 SDGs through children’s rights with special emphasis on equality for girls. Under the initiative, efforts are made to ensure that government and civil society come together to provide opportunities to scale best practices, design specialised schemes and advocate towards gender transformative changes at all levels, to address all needs for a more equitable world for the girl child, in general, and for girls in difficult circumstances, in particular.

About Plan India

Plan India is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities. For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives.

For further information, please contact: Kriti Gulati

E: kriti.gulati@mslgroup.com

M: 9868855013

Shubhang Arora

E: shubhang.arora@mslgroup.com

M: 9769430629

Child rights organisation Plan International welcomes the announcement from India’s Supreme Court that sex with a child bride is no longer permissible under the law.

However, it cautions that this is only one of many steps that must be taken to protect girls from sexual abuse.

Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director of Plan India, said:

“Rape is an act of horrific violence for which there is no excuse. It causes severe physical, emotional and psychological harm, which can last a lifetime. There is no question that it is a crime.

“Although the legal age of marriage in India is 18 for girls, almost 50 per cent are still married off before that age. The decision by India’s Supreme Court to recognise that sex with a child bride is rape means that girls who are married off before the age of 18 are now further protected by the law, and we commend the Supreme Court for taking this decision.

“However, ensuring that the law is properly implemented is absolutely imperative if we are to fully protect children, and it will be a huge challenge to enforce this law in the communities where child marriage is still rampant. To eradicate child marriage, we need a wholesale change in attitudes, and the overturning of the patriarchal norms and traditions.

Nonetheless, this is a landmark judgement and a milestone in the movement towards protecting child rights particularly towards ensuring girls lead learn decide and thrive.”

Mumbai, October 16, 2017: Plan India, a leading child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities; along with its patron Anil Kapoor, and the newly appointed ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission, today launched the ‘Swachh Chembur, Swachh Bharat’ project at The Grand Nalanda, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar College in Chembur, Mumbai. An initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the project aims to improve access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in Chembur and help the community achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and enable proper management of solid and liquid waste in the course of the next year.

Anil Kapoor’s message to the community

• Always use the toilet to defecate.
• Always use soap to wash hands on key occasions like after using the toilet, before eating, after handling waste, before cooking or handling eatables, and when bathing.
• Always use dustbins to dispose waste

As part of the project, Anil Kapoor will campaign with the City Municipal Corporation and other government stakeholders in ‘Pestom Sagar’ and ‘Ameerbagh’ slum settlements of Chembur, for the construction, operation and maintenance of community toilets, support for construction of household toilets, door to door collection of solid waste and its management, including street sweeping and extend sewer connection to the slums. As part of this initiative, Plan India would also work closely with the schools and the Anganwadi centres of the area and would campaign for the adoption of safe hygiene practices by improving access to WASH facilities, which directly benefits girls and young women. In addition, Mr. Kapoor along with Plan India will conduct quarterly review meetings involving all the stakeholders (government, community, children and youth) to monitor the progress, and call for a plan of action on upcoming initiatives

Speaking at the launch of the project, Anil Kapoor, Patron of Plan India and Ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission said, “I am extremely honoured to be a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, and partake in this national movement to contribute to the Government’s objective of making India clean. Chembur is very close to my heart as I spent a memorable part of my early childhood days in this area, and I am confident that the community here will support me in making Chembur open defecation free and practice hygienic behaviour in the next year. I, along with Plan India, am committed to improve the water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in Chembur, and we are optimistic that Chembur will lead by example for other areas in Mumbai, to adopt safe sanitation and hygiene practices.”

As a part of the larger initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission, Plan India will identify slums in cities of other states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Telangana to implement similar interventions, with the objective of helping them incorporate safe sanitation and hygiene practices and achieve open defecation free status.

Plan India is a National Key Resource Centre of the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation since 2011 and is a leader in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene management. Through Plan India’s sanitation interventions, about 2.5 million people have gained access to sanitation and improved their hygiene behaviours. Plan India is currently delivering programmes covering 2 million children and their families spread across 6,000 villages, 300 districts and 16 states of India and its Country Strategic Plan (2016-2020) aims to reach 10 million marginalised girls and young women in 24 states.

About Plan India

Plan India is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities. For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. For more information, please visit: www.planindia.org.

For further information, please contact:

Azka Shaikh

E: azka.shaikh@mslgroup.com

M: 9920120645

Kriti Gulati

E: kriti.gulati@mslgroup.com

M: 9999067109

New Delhi, October 11, 2017: New Delhi, October 11, 2017: To commemorate International Day of the Girl, Plan India, in collaboration with Delegation of the European Union to India, High Commission of Canada in India and other Diplomatic Missions, provided an excellent opportunity to girls from Plan India communities to take over powerful positions for a day by stepping into the roles of Ambassadors and High Commissioners in New Delhi today.

Twenty three girls from Plan India’s communities symbolically took over 12 Embassies and High Commissions in the capital, including the Delegation of the European Union to India, Embassy of Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovenia, France, USA and High Commission of South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom. This initiative is in continuation to Plan India’s ongoing efforts to bring down barriers of discrimination that continue to hold girls back in society by supporting greater opportunities for girls and celebrating their power and potential. Through these takeovers, Plan India envisages encouraging other girls and young women to step forward as leaders and decision makers and make their voices heard on numerous challenges they face.

The symbolic takeovers took place today, with girls actively shadowing the Ambassadors and High Commissioners, and taking on their roles for a short period of time, chairing meetings and engaging with key staff. The takeovers at different diplomatic missions concluded with a large public gathering where the selected girls and their respective Heads of Mission engaged in an open discussion of their experiences. A youth-led interactive art installation also took place.

Plan India released the report titled ‘Unlock the Power of Girls Now’, which was undertaken by Plan International in Spain, Uganda and Colombia. It demonstrates clearly that gender inequality leading to aggression, prejudice and poverty is still very much a part of the fabric of our society.

A joint statement issued by 30 diplomatic missions in India to mark International Day of the Girl reaffirmed their countries’ strong commitment to promoting gender equality, empowerment of women and girls and the advancement of their human rights.”

Commenting on this initiative, Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India, said, “Despite significant progress over the last several decades toward girls’ and women’s equal participation, gaps still remain. It is our responsibility to create an environment that will enable every girl to fulfil her dreams. Through the takeovers and by occupying spaces and places where they are rarely seen or heard, girls will seek to highlight the challenges they face and represent their power and determination to build a more equal world that values girls and promotes their rights.”

“I believe that girls can do everything, but they need the support of everyone around to break down barriers that stop them from achieving. The ‘Girls’ Takeover’ initiative will help build the confidence of girls like me to chase their dreams and aspire to change the world around them,” said 18-year-old Babita from Delhi who took over as the Ambassador of France to India.

Globally, Plan International celebrated this day by initiating more than 500 takeovers in 60 countries with over 1,000 girls becoming Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Presidents, Mayors, CEOs, Senior Directors, School Principals, and Editors for a day to raise their voices for girls’ rights. This global action also supports Plan International’s strategic movement which advocates for 100 million girls to have the power and freedom to learn, lead, decide and thrive.

Achieving gender equality is one of the Global Goals (SDG 5) agreed upon by world leaders in 2015, which promises to transform the world by 2030. International Day of the Girl Child was declared an international observance day by the United Nations due to the advocacy efforts of Plan International. On the occasion of the sixth International Day of the Girl, Plan India stands with girls for equality and strives to work together with them to create opportunities for greater engagement of girls and illustrate every girl’s sheer potential and right to equal opportunities.

About Plan India

Plan India is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities. For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. For more information, please visit: www.planindia.org.

About IDG

International Day of the Girl, celebrated every year on October 11, is a UN-declared international observance day to support greater opportunities for girls and awareness of gender discrimination they endure worldwide. It also recognises girls as powerful agents of change and as the leaders of tomorrow. This platform provides visibility and drives new opportunities for action and investment in them.

The charter was presented to Shri Vijay Jadhav, Member – Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt. of Maharashtra

Mumbai, October 5, 2017:In line with the global commitments to leave no one behind while advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, as well as the Government of India’s focus on inclusion and ‘putting the last child first’, Plan India has been actively supporting children’s rights with a special emphasis on equality for girls, through its campaign – Plan For Every Child (P4EC), launched in 2016.

As part of this year’s efforts, Plan India, in collaboration with its technical partner Pravah, is organising state-level debatathons, where youth from various parts of the country will discuss gender issues and challenges, ideas for bringing about gender transformative changes and debate on possible solutions to address the issues. Suggestions and deliberations from these state level youth debates will be translated into state youth charters, which will be presented at the National P4EC Conference, to be held from November 1- 3, 2017 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, where the winners will come together to debate on the solutions at the grand finale.

The first edition of this state debatathon was organised in Mumbai from October 3-5, 2017, where 23 participants in the age group of 18-24 from various colleges and universities, engaged in the debatathons to discuss on the prioritized issues with a focus on possible solutions. At the end of the debate, the participants put together a state youth charter with recommendations for empowering girls and improving their safety, which was presented to Shri Vijay Jadhav, Member- Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of Maharashtra.

To ensure that No Girl is Left Behind, the Mumbai chapter of the charter made the following recommendations:

• Invest in empowering young girls by creating comprehensive awareness programmes about girl rights, institutionalize and strengthen support mechanisms and groups, appoint councillors to advise girls on health-related issues, use technology to reach the excluded girls and use engagement activities such as plays for information sharing and discussion.
• Include boys and men in the discussion by implementing community based gender sensitization programmes, and facilitate open dialogues on the issues of sexual offences.
• Educate and empower families by organising counselling sessions on their role in the protection and empowerment of girls, impart knowledge about the available schemes for women and their associated benefits, and organise parent-teacher meetings to discuss the issues faced by girls.
• Modify the existing education curriculum to incorporate gender specific issues, awareness about girls in difficult circumstances, life skills for sustainable livelihood, and make education accessible through mobile schools.
• Decrease student dropout rates by introducing flexible timings for girls and appointing designated officials for reporting issues faced by girls.
• Develop infrastructure and facilities such as hostels, health centres, adequate toilets, CCTV and other facilities, to ensure the health and safety of girls, and monitor the progress through regular audits.

Commenting on this initiative, Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director Plan India, said, “For nearly four decades, Plan India has provided spaces for youth to continuously engage, inform and govern programmes implemented in their communities. They raise their voice to influence different stakeholders on issues that affect them and the lives of children. This initiative aims to also engage youth outside our programme areas, so that they participate in larger discourse, raise awareness and advocate for girls’ rights.”

Subsequent editions of the debatathons will be organised in others states including Bihar and Jharkhand (Patna: October 9-11); Assam, covering the North-East states (Guwahati: October 14-16); Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Hyderabad: October 14-16) and Delhi, covering the states adjoining the National Capital Region (October 23-25).

The state debatathons will culminate into the National P4EC Conference, which will bring forth voices of 200 youth from across the country. The conference will focus specifically on girls in marginalised, excluded and vulnerable situations, and will present the interface of inclusion, access and opportunities for girls within the marginalised groups.

New Delhi, October 4, 2017: In line with the global commitments to leave no one behind while advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, as well as the Government of India’s focus on inclusion and ‘putting the last child first’, Plan India has been vigorously working towards the Plan For Every Child (P4EC) campaign which was launched in 2016. The National Conference this year will focus specifically on girls in marginalised, excluded and vulnerable situations. It aims to present the interface of inclusion, access and opportunities for girls within the marginalised groups. The P4EC Conference will be held from November 1-3, 2017 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

This year, the Conference will bring forth voices of the 200 youth from across the country as the culmination of debatathons in various states. The debatathons would be organised in collaboration with technical partner Pravah and will be held in Maharashtra (Mumbai: October 3-5); Bihar and Jharkhand (Patna: October 9-11); Assam, covering the North-East states (Guwahati: October 14-16); Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Hyderabad: October 14-16) and Delhi, covering the states adjoining the National Capital Region (October 23-25). Based on the SDGs and Plan India’s Gender Vulnerability Index, the youth will engage in discussions on bringing about gender transformative changes and debate on ‘out of the box’ solutions.

Participants for the state level events will be selected during the orientation programme on issues of children in difficult circumstances and on the SDGs. The NGO partners operating in different districts will select 12-15 participants in the age group of 18-24 from various colleges and universities based on their performance during this orientation.

During these state events, the first day will be used as a background orientation session with the youth; the actual debatathon will be held on the second day, and the third day will be used by the youth to prepare a state youth charter which will then be presented to the duty bearers. The youth charters developed in these sessions will be shared at the National Conference, where the winners will come together to debate on the solutions at the grand finale on November 2, 2017.

Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director Plan India shares that, “For nearly four decades, Plan India has provided spaces for youth to continuously engage, inform and govern programmes implemented in their communities. They raise their voice to influence different stakeholders on issues that affect them and the lives of children. This initiative aims to also engage youth outside our programme areas, so that they participate in larger discourse, raise awareness and advocate for girls’ rights,”

The Plan for Every Child – Leave No Girl Behind campaign is a movement to support the 2030 SDGs through children’s rights with special emphasis on equality for girls. Under the initiative, efforts are made to ensure that government and civil society come together to provide opportunities to scale best practices, design specialised schemes and advocate towards gender transformative changes at all levels, to address all needs for a more equitable world for the girl child, in general, and for girls in difficult circumstances, in particular.

Plan India, is a nationally registered independent child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities. For over 35 years, Plan India and its partners have improved the lives of millions of children by providing them access to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives.

Plan India ensures timely humanitarian assistance in four states with a focus on protection, nutrition, education and WASH, especially amongst women and girls.

New Delhi, September 8th, 2017 – Plan India, a leading child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities, initiated its humanitarian response with an immediate provision of distributing food and non-food relief items to the most vulnerable families in the worst affected areas in Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai. So far, Plan India has already reached out to 5,084 families across these four states and aims to reach 20,000 families through its relief efforts.

Through the relief assistance especially targeted towards women and children, Plan India is mitigating the scarcity of portable safe drinking water, preventing critical infection and malnutrition, addressing unavailability of safe spaces for children and providing supplementary nutritious food for children and lactating mothers.

In Assam, Plan India reached out to 3,464 families in Mayong Block through distribution of hygiene kits, water kits and shelter kits.10 Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) catering to almost 277 children are functional. CFS shall continue until September 30, 2017. Plan India will also reach out to 2,250 more families in Morigaon district, targeting flood affected families in Mayong, Laharighat and Bhuragaon blocks. The affected families with be provided with hygiene kits, water kits and shelter kits.

In Bihar, Plan India has initiated its response to reach out to 1,000 families in the villages of Sitamarhi and Muzzafarpur districts. The aim is to meet the immediate needs of affected families. The relief items include providing tarpaulins, sanitation and supplementing nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers and children (0-5 years). In the next phase, Non-Food Items (NFI) kits will be provided to 2,500 families and education kits to 2,500 families. Activities such as repairing of schools including hand pumps, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres and health camps are being planned.

In Uttar Pradesh, Plan India is reaching out to Laxmipur Block in 5 Gram Panchayats and 15 villages. In total, 1,287 households are affected and Plan India is reaching out to 870 families through sanitation and hygiene kits.

In Mumbai, Plan India is providing relief assistance to more than 2,000 families in three most affected areas that includes Garibnagar, Patelnagar and Pipeline. Plan India is supporting these families with water purification tablets, mosquito control measure, comprehensive health services and educational materials.

Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director, Plan India said “Overall, in all four states, we have ensured that our emergency humanitarian assistance and relief efforts reach out to the most vulnerable women and children. This year, our relief efforts addressed sanitation and hygiene needs of women and adolescent girls who are especially vulnerable during disasters to water-borne, vector-borne and communicable diseases. Besides this, nutrition supplements are being distributed to lactating and pregnant mothers. Special provisions are also being made to provide safe and secure spaces for children until the situation returns to normalcy.”

From 2013 to 2016, Plan India has responded to similar disasters including the floods in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand; and during the drought situation in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Plan India was also one of the first responders in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam, providing immediate relief and support during Cyclone Phailin.

Plan India creates Child Friendly Spaces to help children meet their needs and maintain a sense of normalcy.

Guwahati, August 21, 2017 – Plan India, a leading child development organisation committed to creating a lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable and excluded children, their families and communities, initiated its humanitarian response with an immediate provision of distributing food and non-food relief items to the worst affected families from Morigaon district, Assam. Plan India decided to intervene in this district as it is one of the most backward districts in Assam, with the majority of its population living below poverty line.

Children’s needs remain a priority for the organisation. Hence, Plan India is now setting up Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) to ensure they have a safe space to play and heal, so they can maintain a sense of normalcy during this difficult time. CFSs will support the immediate needs of 500 children along with ensuring that children do not suffer from abuse and exploitation given the weakening of the community and family safety nets. The CFSs would be operational in 10 villages in Mayong block for next 40 days.

CFSs will provide children accessing the centres with opportunity for recreation, education, and nutrition. Additionally as per Plan India’s rapid assessment, there are 200 children from the affected families who require psychosocial support which will be provided through strategic engagement with counselors and other experts in the district.

Morigaon, in normal circumstances, is prone to child trafficking and child labour; hence the CFSs will act as the hub for awareness and action to mitigate any such efforts. During disasters, it is expected that the number of such instances will rise; therefore there is an urgency to ensure the CFS is started at the earliest and continues to be functional until full normalcy returns in the villages.

Earlier in the month, Plan India, in partnership with Emannuel Health Association (EHA) responded with immediate relief assistance to 1,214 worst affected families in 7 villages of Mayong block. Now, the CFS would be functional in 10 villages (Moorkata, Moorkata- 2 Block, Tetligaun, Hathibhangi, Gorubhandha/Jaljali, Kasosila, Kotogir – 2 Block, and Bonmori).

The incessant rains in Assam since June has left almost 15 districts marooned due to flood waters. The villages on the banks of Brahmaputra are eroded completely due to breach of embankments. In Mayong block, Morigaon district, affected families are staying in temporary sheds on the roadside across the rivers. The villages have more than 80% of population living below poverty lines and are dependent on relief measures provided by the government and NGOs. With lands being submerged, there is a loss of livelihoods while schools have been forced to shut down.

Plan India has responded to similar disasters in the past including the Uttarakhand flash floods (2013), Cyclone Phailin in Odisha (2013), Andhra Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir floods. Plan India was one of the first organisations’ to respond to the cyclone hit areas in coastal region of Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam with relief operation.