contents

Message from the Chair Emeritus

Our Innovative Programmes

Message from the Chairperson

Digital Learning Centres

Message from the Executive Director

Seeds For Life

Our History

Eco Education

Our Approach

Bal Vidhan Sabha

Our Purpose

Campaign on Japanese Encephalitis

and Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis

About Country Strategic Plan IV

Syndrome in Uttar Pradesh

Our Geographical Coverage

Our National Inititatives

Our Impact

Creating People’s Movement

Plan India in Numbers

Plan India Impact Awards

Our Strategic Objectives

International Day of the Girl

Girls Get Equal

360° Campaigns

Our Gender Transformative

Anti Child Marriage Campaign

Programmes

Campaign on Menstrual Hygiene

Management

Let Girls Be Born

National Dialogues and Knowledge

Girls Advocacy Alliance

Sharing

Safer Cities

Plan for Every Child

Saksham

Our Humanitarian Response

Sambhav

Our Partners

Our Flagship Programmes

From Our Donors

Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya

Plan in News

Anti Child Labour Programme

Financial Disclosure

Project Ahana

Our Board Members

Young Health Programme

Our Patron

Nutrition India Programme

list of

acronyms

AES

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome

AIDS

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

ANM

Auxiliary Nurse Midwife

ART

Antiretroviral Therapy

ASHA

Accredited Social Health Activist

AWW

Anganwadi Workers

CMHO

Chief Medical Health Officer

CNW

Community Nutrition Workers

CPC

Child Protection Committee

District Magistrate

EID

Early Infant HIV Diagnosis

EPC

Environment Protection Committee

FLW

Frontline Workers

HIC

Health Information Centres

HIV

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

ICDS

Integrated Child Development Services

IEC

Information Education Communication

Japanese Encephalitis

JOVT

Job-oriented Vocational Training

NACO

National AIDS Control Organisation

NCD

Non-Communicable Diseases

NGO

Non-Governmental Organisation

NHM

National Health Mission

NITI Aayog

National Institution for Transforming India

NRC

Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres

PC & PNDT Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques

Peer Educator

PPTCT

Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission

PRI

Panchayati Raj Institution

SCPCR

State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

SMC

School Management Committees

WASH

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

MESSAGE FROM

THE CHAIR EMERITUS

Dear Reader,

I have the pleasure once again of presenting Plan India’s Annual

Report for 2018-19.

My association with Plan India has been a long and fulfilling

one. I have watched with great pride as the organisation has

grown strength to strength in its pursuit of creating a just world

for children. This year, Plan India completed 40 years of doing

seminal work in advancing children’s rights and equality for

girls. I am honoured to have been a part of this journey and

congratulate all my colleagues on this momentous occasion.

In the past 40 years, Plan India has grown and matured and is

today known as a trusted organisation that advocates for child

rights and equality for girls. Plan India has worked with children,

adolescents and young people, extensively engaging with them

in all aspects of our work. We consider our efforts successful

when children and youth, particularly girls, drive change in their

communities and are able to hold effective dialogues with duty

bearers.

I am immensely proud to note that children and youth who were part of our projects in the past are now

leading the charge in their communities. These are the results we strive for! When a community becomes self-

aware of the issues that exist and makes efforts to resolve them that is when we are truly successful.

The work by Plan India has benefitted millions of children, helping them break the cycle of poverty and wield

their right to a future of their own. I am proud to share that Plan India has created an environment where girls

can learn, lead, decide and thrive in the communities that they work.

Over the years, the support we have received from the government, local and international donors, corporate

donors, grassroot NGOs and supporters from around the world has been immense.

I extend my sincerest thanks to every member of the Plan India family who works untiringly to reach our goal

of 10 million smiles.

I look forward to another year full of successes to help children, particularly girls.

Govind Nihalani

Chair Emeritus, Plan India

MESSAGE FROM

THE CHAIRperson

Dear Friends,

I am happy and proud that Plan India has made strong gains

through 2019, with new partnerships, outreach programmes and

forays into new domains.

In a ‘first’ Plan India partnered with the National Institution for

Transforming India (NITI Aayog), the Government of India’s

premier policy think tank, for its flagship ‘Aspirational District

Programme,’ which aims to rapidly improve the ‘ease of living’ in

the 117 most backward districts of India. Under this partnership,

Plan India will work with district authorities across five states—

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Bihar—to

bolster two of its most important strategic priorities - health and

nutrition.

The other ‘first’ that I am pleased to share is the coming on board

of external partners for the 2nd Plan India Impact Awards, a

unique platform which recognises the exemplary contributions of

frontline workers in their efforts to bring about lasting impact and

sustainable changes in the lives of people. The inaugural Impact

Awards held in 2017 covered 13 states and honoured 10 outstanding grassroots changemakers. In 2018, it

expanded to cover 22 states and 190+ NGOs.

Yet another ‘first’ for Plan India has been the ‘Girls Get Equal’ campaign, which was launched on the

International Day of the Girl by Mr. Anil Kapoor, well known actor and Plan India Patron. The campaign is one

of the world’s biggest and has been co-created in collaboration with girls and young women. Launched in 64

countries and counting, the initiative aims to give girls and young women a voice in making their own choices.

At the heart of all these ‘firsts’ has been our commitment to support, enable and advance children’s rights and

equality for girls.

As Plan India draws closer towards achieving the ambitious targets set forth in CSP IV, there is a stronger

commitment to deepen our collaborative engagements with various stakeholders, including Civil Society

Organisations (CSOs), local, state and national governments as well as individual and corporate donors.

I wish the team at Plan India many more ‘firsts’ in the year ahead.

Rathi Vinay Jha

Chairperson, Plan India Board

MESSAGE FROM

THE executive director

Dear Colleagues,

This year Plan India completed 40 years of advancing children

rights and equality for girls. As an organisation, we remain

committed to creating a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable

and excluded children. Plan India has steadfastly worked to

empower and stand beside young girls in their fight for a voice

and influence on decisions that affect their lives.

The theme for this Annual Report is #GirlsGetEqual. A youth-led

social change campaign, #GirlsGetEqual strives to ensure that

every girl and young woman has power over her own life and

can shape the world around her. Plan India programmes and

advocacy initiatives, focuses on tackling exclusion and gender

equality through this campaign.

In 2018-19, the country faced two major disasters - Kerala floods

and Cyclone FANI. Plan India was at the forefront in responding

to these national emergencies. Our humanitarian assistance

reached over 26,000 families and ensured continued education

for over 10,000 school-going children in the two states. The team

on the ground ensured that young girls and women were consulted at every stage of the response beginning

from needs assessment to the distribution and were the core of our outreach.

Our work on maternal and child health saw Plan India reach out to 1.65 crore pregnant women-55% of

India’s annual pregnancy load - in a juggernaut exercise which resulted in 1.3 crore being tested for HIV, an

unprecedented scale for any programme of its kind.

Plan India completed its 40 years of work in 2019. Our leadership team, children supported by Plan India, staff,
alumni and Governing Board Members reflect on Plan’s journey of four decades.

Another gargantuan community campaign-a first mid-media campaign for Plan India - was to spread

awareness to combat Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Uttar Pradesh

that reached approximately 0.12 crore people.

We continued to help 39,000 children learn about WASH through inclusive education, and thrive by ensuring

access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. We have been continuously engaged in elevating

education opportunities by supporting the effective implementation of the Right to Education Act 2009 and

strengthening local school governance. Plan’s Digital Learning Centres have emerged as a breakthrough

in providing quality education, especially for girls who have to drop out from formal schooling. Our efforts to

enable youth from urban and rural disadvantaged areas to access employment and creating a gender-just

society have culminated in our flagship programme, Saksham. We have helped over 2,600 young people

transform their lives this past year by equipping them with vocational training and skill sets in line with market

demands.

The core of Plan India’s work is the commitment to protecting children and young people from all forms

of violence. Through interventions designed to be sustainable and to build capacities of communities, we

have empowered 8,612 girls for their safety in cities, protected more than 40,000 children from violence and

rescued and rehabilitated over 23,000 child labourers.

We scaled up Plan India Impact Awards (PIIA) to an unprecedented 22 states, up from 13 in the first edition.

PIIA honours and motivates frontline community workers and provides a platform to reinforce and replicate

best practices advancing the development discourse. The mark of pride for PIIA 2018 was a prestigious

partnership with the NITI Aayog.

The high point for this International Day of the Girl (IDG) was the presence of Plan India’s Patron and Goodwill

Ambassador, Mr. Anil Kapoor who launched the ‘Girls Get Equal’ campaign in India. IDG witnessed more than

100 girls from across 10 states take over from staff at 17 Embassies and High Commissions, mayors, CEOs,

chiefs of police, village council leaders, school principals and chief editors across the country and demonstrate

their power and potential.

The third National Conference “Plan for Every Child- Girls Get Equal” was organised from December

5-7, 2018 in New Delhi in the presence of Honourable Supreme Court Justice Shri Madan B. Lokur. The

conference provided a platform for consequential conversations among more than 500 distinguished

stakeholders about safeguarding children under the theme “Leave No Girl Behind”.

I congratulate the Plan India team for their indomitable will to create a better world around them and thank

their families for their support that make our successes possible. The Governing Board has set the highest

governance standards and has provided us strategic direction and guidance all throughout. Our partners

share equally in all our successes and I’d like to express my appreciation for their solidarity. As ever, the

patronage and support we receive from the government, corporate and individual donors have been the

cornerstone to all that we do and I convey our special gratitude to them.

I look forward to another year working towards supporting girls, young women and their allies to campaign for

gender equality.

Sincerely,

Anuja Bansal

Executive Director, Plan India

our purpose

We strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

about country

strategic plan iv

Goal 2020

During 2015-2020, Plan India will undertake long-term sponsorship-based programming in 8 states and

grants-based programming in 16 states, to:

1. Work with TWO million children, and within these, aim to impact ONE million girls and young women

2. Impact TEN million girls and young women through influencing government policy and practice

3. Develop innovative pilots through evidence-based programming

our geographical coverage

1. Andhra Pradesh

2. Arunachal Pradesh

3. Assam

4. Bihar

5. Chhattisgarh

6. Delhi

7. Jharkhand

8. Karnataka

9. Kerala

10. Madhya Pradesh

11. Maharashtra

12. Manipur

13. Meghalaya

14. Mizoram

We are working with

15. Nagaland

children, families

16. Odisha

and communities in

17. Rajasthan

18. Sikkim

24 states

19. Tamil Nadu

across India.

20. Telangana

21. Tripura

22. Uttar Pradesh

23. Uttarakhand

24. West Bengal

strategic objectives

Adolescent and Maternal Health,

Child Survival and Optimal Development

Improved access to quality reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health services that directly benefit

500,000 (Under 6) girls and 500,000 adolescent girls from vulnerable and excluded communities, along with

8,000,000 girls and young women benefited indirectly through influencing government policy and practices.

1.65 crore pregnant women reached through

10,500 young women and mothers and 12,000

Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Accredited Social

men and children supported to improve nutritional

Health Activists (ASHAs) and Sahayikas (peripheral

status.

health workers) in collaboration with the government,

8 states and 35+ districts districts

with 1.3 crore receiving Human Immunodeficiency

strengthened government health services at sub-

Virus (HIV) testing.

centres including Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres

0.12 crore people sensitised under mass

(NRC), Integrated Child Development Services

awareness campaign on JE/AES in eastern Uttar

(ICDS), National Health Missions for HIV and

Pradesh.

antiretroviral therapy (ART) improving health-seeking

behaviour.

80,295 people (50% girls and young women)

reached under the Young Health Programme.

water, sanitation

and hygiene

Improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services that directly benefit 1,000,000 girls and

young women from vulnerable and excluded communities, with another 5,000,000 girls and young women

indirectly benefitting through influencing government policy and practices.

50,000 children (58% girl) school-going children,

43 crore rupees mobilised through advocacy

across 119 primary schools provided access to

from Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department,

improved WASH facilities, improving enrolment by

Govt. of Bihar for piped-water-supply system in five

11%.

drought prone villages.

5,482 adolescent’s girls,

51 defunct tube-wells repaired in 47 villages through

influencing and community efforts.

4,589 young women, 1,194 men,

reached under menstrual hygiene campaign ‘Chuppi

48 Gram Panchayats declared open defecation

Todo Swasth Raho (Break the Silence, Be Healthy)’

free by engaging people through behaviour change

in Jharkhand.

communication.

Quality and

Holistic education

Promote quality education and learning for children in pre-primary to secondary levels in early childhood care,

Anganwadi centres and schools directly benefiting 1,000,000 girls, with another 5,000,000 girls indirectly

benefitting through influencing government policy and practices.

168,185 children (52% girls ) in the age group of

23,000 children’s (50% girls) monitored for their

6 to 16 years in 800 schools and 1,011 communities

milestone development in 656 ICDS centres.

reached through improved education and better

5,436 School Management Committee members

infrastructure.

(55% women) involved in capacity building on

38,315 children (50% girls) in the age group of

community school governance.

3 to 6 years reached across 1,335 ICDS centres in

108 Digital Learning Centres (DLC) reaching out to

1,000 communities.

23,857 children in 7 states.

Our Impact

employability and

economic empowerment

Improved youth economic empowerment and financial inclusion that directly benefits 100,000 young women

between the ages of 18-24 years, with another 1,000,000 girls and young women indirectly benefitting

through influencing government policy and practices.

38,000+ young people trained and employed

70% youth (55% girls) retained in employment.

under the Saksham initiative.

2,600 young people trained on Job Oriented

Vocational Training (JOVT).

child

protection

Increased protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence for 1,000,000 girls from vulnerable and

excluded communities, with another 10,000,000 girls indirectly benefited through influencing government

policy and practice.

8,612 girls empowered and 40,000+ children

0.256 crore girls under the age of 18 and

protected under Safer Cities initiative.

810,000 people reached indirectly through policy

level changes involving amendments in guidelines,

23,434 children (44% girls) rescued from child

laws and trainings impacting gender norms.

labour.

27 child marriages prevented and communities

empowered to make child-marriage-free villages.

disaster

risk management

Build disaster resilient communities through comprehensive disaster risk management and humanitarian

assistance, benefitting 300,000 girls, young women and their families across 1,000 villages and urban

slums, with another 300,000 girls, young women and their families indirectly benefitting through influencing

government policy and practices.

Kerala Floods

Cyclone FANI, Odisha

22,022 families from five flood affected districts of

4,439 families supported with dry rations in Puri

Kerala provided dry rations and non-food item relief

district.

kits.

2,043 school-going children received education

8,654 school-going children received education kits

kits.

21 schools and 5 Anganwadi centres

renovated to make them disaster resilient as part of

the long-term recovery process.

India can potentially add

#GirlsGetEqual

$770 billion

Power

to annual GDP by 2025

Support girls to become leaders

through advancing

and take part in all decision that

affect their lives.

Gender equality

in work and

society.*

#GirlsGetEqual

*The power of parity: Advancing women’s

equality in India, 2018, McKinsey & Company

Freedom

Defend girls’ right to be safe online

Girls Get Equal (GGE) is a campaign co-designed by Plan

as well as in public spaces and

International and young gender activists and advocates from

ensure they can speak up without

across the world. It is a five-year social change campaign to

fear of harassment or violence.

transform what it means to achieve equality for girls and young

women. A youth-led initiative, GGE is campaigning to ensure

every girl and young woman has power over her own life and

can shape the world around her.

#GirlsGetEqual

The Campaign was launched in India in 2018 on the

Representation

International Day of the Girl. Young girls stepped into the

Call out discrimination and

shoes of influential leaders and experts to demonstrate their

damaging gender stereotypes

power. More than 100 girls from 10 states spend three-day

whether you see it on the screen,

acquiring skills for communication, negotiation, problem-solving,

confidence and leadership. Two girls from Plan India supported

in print and in advertising, to make

communities shared their experiences and the discrimination

room for true and representative

and harassment they have faced at the Asia Regional Girls’

stories of girls and boys.

Summit.

jharkhand, uttar pradesh and rajasthan

Sex-selective elimination of female foetuses, often

let girls be born

through the misuse of the very technology that was

developed for the care of an unborn child, continues

to be a problem. Let Girls Be Born (LGBB) is an

advocacy project through which Plan India, with the

support of Plan International - Netherlands, works to

end discrimination and fight female foeticide through

effective implementation of the law.

Innovations

1. Geo-tagged mapping of testing centres on a

portal that strengthens Pre-Conception and Pre-

Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) cells

through online tracking and compliance

2. Changes in Governance: Delegating Chief

Medical Health Officer’s (CMHO) powers

to the District Magistrate (DM) for effective

enforcement of PC & PNDT Act and to prevent

any probable collusion with the offenders

paralegals trained to raise legal

awareness at Lok Adalats and

Plan India undertakes capacity building of

2,400+

counselling at legal clinics

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) who

are trained at regional and block levels and then

FLWs trained to counsel families

cascade their learning to peers and communities.

before pregnancy and provide

These frontline workers (FLWs) coordinate,

1,514

monitoring and support until the

collaborate and consolidate efforts across the state

birth

to record and analyse data, identify and address

gaps through grassroot level facilitation.

girls enrolled under scholarship

scheme sponsored by Chamber of

Plan also works with the state governments to

1,210

Commerce for higher education, 742

showcase learning from other successful initiatives

girls linked with welfare schemes

across India. Piloted in Rajasthan, the Mukhbir

Yojana or Informant Scheme incentivises sharing of

information on centres providing sex determination

Leading from the Front

services or operating illegally. It is now also active

in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. LGBB also

Arjun Lal Meena is an elected Sarpanch, or

works with volunteers empanelled by the State

village headman, of Padampura-a village with

Legal Services Authority from the National Legal

an adverse child sex ratio. Due to LGBB’s

Awareness Programme and trained paralegals to

consistent dialogue with elected PRI members

disseminate information through Lok Adalats.

and their Sarpanch, they have acquired an

understanding of the issue and initiated many

The programme works with the communities on

innovative actions to address the gender skew.

behaviour change and helps create dialogue on

roles for girls in the socio-economic context. Active

engagement with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)

The fruit of Arjun Lal’s efforts are witnessed

has led to the display of ‘Guddi-Gudda’ boards

in the actively engaged community that has

within communities that present gender-segregated

now assumed the duty of ensuring girl’s rights.

data. Effective tools for behaviour change, the

A new-born girl child is now welcomed in the

boards drive ownership and spark reflection within

community with celebrations and support

communities over the issue of declining sex ratio.

for improved care and linkages to welfare

Peer educators and youth clubs have emerged

schemes. Under the PRI’s aegis, the progress

as the backbone for community mobilisation and

of every child, regardless of gender, is tracked

facilitation of on-ground actions. With work making

and facilitated as they progress through

rapid progress at both advocacy and grassroot

their schooling and beyond. Padampura is

levels, Plan is well on its way ensure equality for

determinedly moving towards being a gender-

girls’ right from their inception.

balanced panchayat.

Our Gender Transformative Programmes

andhra pradesh and telangana

A gradual change is being witnessed in ensuring

girls advocacy

equal rights and opportunities for girls in the states

of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana state (TS).

Governments of AP and TS have taken official

alliance

A detailed look at Girls Advocacy Alliance, its work, and
impact on combating child marriages and trafficking.

cognisance of the burgeoning child rights problem.

Work has begun to amend and plug the loopholes

in the law that allows child marriages. Religious

leaders are spearheading awareness drives about

the economic, health and legal repercussions of

child marriages within their communities. Village-

level Child Protection Committees (CPCs) are being

formed and strengthened based on the guidelines

created by Plan India in collaboration with the state

governments. A strategy paper examining corporate

social responsibility spending beyond primary

education of girls and identifying the lacunae in

support for secondary and higher education which

accounts for the highest dropout rates, has been

published.

All these initiatives are a part of Plan India’s biggest

global advocacy programme, Girls’ Advocacy

crore girls and young women to benefit

Alliance (GAA). GAA is an initiative of Plan

from 17 government orders, circulars

International-Plan Netherlands, Terre des Hommes-

and action plans for prevention of child

0.215

Netherlands and Defence for Children-ECPAT

marriage and promotion of secondary

Netherlands and funded by the Dutch Ministry of

education

Foreign Affairs. The project’s goal is to create an

environment where girls can build a life of self-

religious leaders took up actions

reliance, dignity and financial independence. GAA

against child marriage and trafficking,

focuses on systemic and attitudinal changes to stop

334

advocated girls’ education and sensitised

child marriages and child trafficking by promoting

communities drive behavioural changes

secondary education for girls and job oriented

vocational training (JOVT) for young women.

Civil Society Organisation SOs

Plan India’s innovative strategies for changing

adopted child protection policies

social norms, networking, influencing, and gathering

118

drafted by Plan India

evidence are beginning to bear fruit. Youth

advocates of GAA are actively raising their voices

to demand their rights. Work is in progress with the

private sector to promote focused spending and

establishing infrastructure to create opportunities

for continued secondary education and JOVT for

An Equal sky

young women. Plan is successfully breaking siloes

Nilofer an undergraduate from Hyderabad, finds

and creating synergies between the judiciary and

her inspiration from Malala and is a staunch

the government departments of state legal services,

supporter of girls’ rights. An active member of

education, and women and child welfare to protect

the Girls Advocacy Alliance, Nilofer works to

girls’ rights. The project also sensitises other CSOs

convince parents in the community she lives to let

to incorporate the GAA themes into their core

operations and advocacy.

their daughters gain higher education. She also

counsels her friends and peers many of whom

worry about being married early and encourages

Child Marriage is a major issue in

them to speak to their parents and not to give their

Andhra Pradesh and we all should

education. She has also conducted a seminar

strive to completely eliminate it in the

on female foeticide in her community. Working

next few years from the state.

tirelessly for an equal world for girls, Nilofer for

Honourable justice

sure is a strong advocate of GAA.

c praveen kumar

Acting Chief Justice and Executive Chairman,

Andhra Pradesh State Legal Service Authority

Delhi and Rajasthan

80,000 households in Mangolpuri, Madanpur

safer cities

Khadar and Gautampuri in Delhi are witness to

efforts to make the city safe for young women and

give wings to their ambition. Young women here

are building promising futures, reclaiming public

spaces for themselves and shattering boundaries

FAMILIES

AGENCIES

that routinely make their lives ‘safer’. Here, public

school teachers advocate girls’ safety and sanitation

needs so that they can continue higher education. In

these communities, girls aspire to a career in sports

YOUT H

and thrive through technical as well as vocational

COMMUNITY

CHAMPIONS

training.

Key Pillars

All this is the result of Plan India’s long-term gender

transformation programme Safer Cities which

focuses on the gap in programming and research

pertaining to how adolescent girls experience

public spaces differently than men. Safer Cities has

(8 for girls) created; 146 children

put adolescent girls at the centre and challenges

(112 girls) participate in regular

the perception of safety and fear of violence that

11 youth

interactive meetings on rights,

define girls’ negotiation. It supports girls and boys in

groups

safety and gender-based

becoming active citizens by building capacities and

violence in public spaces

creating opportunities for participation in city life.

The programme is also being implemented in two

wards of Jaipur.

participated in and 5,000 people

reached indirectly through the ‘16

110 girls

Days of Activism Against Gender-

Safer Cities Key Outcomes

Based Violence’ campaign

1. Increased adolescent girls’ safety and

access to public spaces

participated in a three-day

2. Increased girls’ active and meaningful

206

festival organised by Plan India

participation in urban development and

in partnership with five schools in

governance

students

Jaipur

3. Increased autonomous mobility in the city

for adolescent girls

While Safer Cities works to empower girls, it also

engages boys and men in the communities as

no longer a bystander

allies. Strengthening local youth clubs is pivotal in

The women of Gautampuri have taken on a

effectively gathering evidence and data for Plan’s

fight against sexual harassment on the streets,

advocacy work. Programme activities help the

a reality for many of them. They have used the

children and youth visualise alternatives where safe

intergenerational dialogues as instruments for

spaces exist for them to counter the ever-present

bringing together their voices to communicate their

fear of violence.

concerns about the casual gender violence, often

normalised as a part of daily routine, to the elders

The integrated community-based approach uses

in their community.

innovative engagement modalities and gender

transformative approaches. It also employs unique

Once the issue was flagged by the girls, elder

feedback and participatory research tools such

women and mothers formed a group and took the

as training curriculums, community scorecards

lead in addressing this issue. To begin with, they

and Information Education Communication (IEC)

identified one lane where they would campaign

materials to involve parents and community

to reduce the open consumption of alcohol and

leaders. Intergenerational dialogues help elders

instances of sexual harassment. Eventually, they

acknowledge the disparities and challenge the

plan to identify other streets and mobilise women

conventional understanding of safety. Dialogues

to take back their streets.

were initiated within the community for addressing

Our Gender Transformative Programmes

Girls from Plan India’s Safer Cities programme recount their experiences about safety
in public spaces and conducting a safety audit in their locality.

gender power relations and to challenge stereotypical social
norms that perpetuate insecurity and exclusion of girls in cities.
Making Safer Cities community-led puts the onus of assessing
public spaces from a gender lens and ensuring the safety of girls
back on the neighbourhood.

Plan India signed strategic partnerships with the Department of
Women and Child Development, Delhi Police, transport service
providers, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights and
the National Institute of Urban Affairs. Through Plan’s advocacy,
public transport in Delhi was studied to understand the needs
of adolescent girls and to recommend specific changes. A
consultation was also held on public budgets from the lens
of women and girls and the resultant policy brief ‘Gender and
Governance at the Grassroots: A Study of South Delhi Municipal
Corporation’s 2018 Budgets’ was published. Safer Cities takes
pride in girl-led negotiations with local representatives for gender-
sensitive budgeting for the programme area.

After participating
in the meeting,
the association
has decided to
leave the lights of
every fourth shop
on to reduce the
risk of darkness
in the market in
the night.

member

Mangolpuri Market Association

delhi, uttar pradesh, uttarakhand,

saksham

rajasthan, maharashtra and karnataka

Plan India’s Saksham Training Centre at Delhi,

Lucknow, Dehradun, Jaipur, Mumbai and Bengaluru

are full of young men and women taking avid

notes as a trainer talks to them about workplace

youngsters given vocational,

communication. In another section, youngsters

entrepreneurship, gender-

launch into a role play that sensitises them on

sensitisation, digital and financial

2,600+

gender-relations in their personal spaces, within

literacy, workplace communication

their communities and at workplace. In yet another

training

corner, girls engage in a lively debate about which

strategies are best to convince their families to let

them work, an opportunity often denied by the girls’

of these youngsters now employed or

protective environment.

70%

self-employed, 55% of them girls

Started in 2010, Saksham focuses on ‘Neither

in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)’

Saksham graduates have resumed

youth, especially girls, from urban and rural

or enrolled for the next level

disadvantaged areas. The initiative arms them

80%

of education

with free, market-oriented vocational skills, as well

as job and entrepreneurial training. With support

from corporates and Plan International offices,

Plan India’s mission is to provide access to gainful

employment to young girls in the age group of

18-29 years while also grooming today’s youth

new horizons

as representatives of a gender-just society. The

Prerna is a confident young woman, living the

programme also goes several steps further and

dream of building a better tomorrow for herself

includes basic IT skills, presentation, etiquette

and her family. Her career at a leading electronics

and basic business conversational skills in the

store is well underway and she is a beacon of

training. Saksham has a strong focus on training

hope for other aspiring women in her community.

that challenges gender stereotypes and widespread

discrimination. Saksham engages parents,

Only a few years ago, this picture was bleak.

communities and employers on the subjects of

Prerna’s father had suffered a heart attack and

gender equality, equal opportunities and economic

lost his livelihood. With basic sustenance at

empowerment of girls and women. The programme

risk, one of the early casualties was Prerna’s

not only encourages young girls and women to

education. The family had their backs against

take up skill training but also provides linkages to

the wall and Prerna had withdrawn into her shell,

employment for mainstreaming their participation in

hesitant and nervous in front of people.

socio-economic development.

Around then, she met the Saksham team who

Saksham was carefully designed after gathering

encouraged her to explore the programme. They

market intelligence, researching available jobs

counselled Prerna and her family to fight their

and identifying the skill gap. Initial market studies

orthodox mindset and overcome their hesitation.

identified potential trades for vocational training.

Once she started at Saksham, Prerna’s

Local employers in these sectors were then

confidence and skills grew by leaps and bounds.

interviewed to gather skill requirements and gaps,

After completing her training, Prerna used her

which formed the basis of the training courses.

new-found skills to triumph through a rigorous

Creating awareness among young people about

selection process to find employment at the

job opportunities in the market, providing career

electronics store.

counselling and imparting skills to negotiate with

families, communities and employers were also

Today, she not only supports her own family

designed into the course.

but has become a champion of change in her

community, inspiring other young women and

Plan India takes the training right into the

their families to challenge their circumstances

communities to address the challenges raised

and live their dreams.

by limited mobility for girls. Working in close

association with their training and implementation

partners, Plan India leverages the trust they have

Our Gender Transformative Programmes

The Head of a Saksham Centre and beneficiaries talk about how Saksham helps create
sustainable livelihoods for youth by training them in market-oriented skills.

built over the years with communities to lower resistance to the idea of girls seeking employment and bring

about social behavioural change from within the communities.

Saksham provides experiential learning before placing its young graduates into job openings and mentors

them through the first six months to ensure that there are no dropouts. The programme also focuses on

gender mainstreaming by taking care of particulars like evaluating the safety of the location and timings of not

just their own training centres, but also of the places of employment of the young girls.

The success of Saksham lies in creating an informed and empowered youth force that seeks to create an

equitable, economically secure and sustainable future for themselves and their families. Girls who graduate

from Saksham leave with skills for not just gainful employment, but with an ability to make decisions and

negotiate their rights with peers, parents and employers. The hard work of the Saksham team is validated by

the strong and constant demand for Saksham-trained young women from local employers.

We are very proud of our daughter’s achievements. Nagma is the first girl in

our extended family who is working. She has always been confident and we

want her to progress and be independent. In our community parents rely on

their sons to support the family. We never imagined that mghter would

stand shoulder to shoulder with me and share our burden.

Nagma’s Parents

Our Gender Transformative Programmes

Jharkhand

Jharkhand, home to 0.73 crore of India’s 24 crore

sambhav

adolescents aged between 10 and 19, has the

third highest rate of child marriages in the country.

38% girls get married before the legal age of 18

years. In 2015, Plan India started ‘Sambhav’, an

adolescent empowerment programme with support

from UNICEF for reduction in child marriage and

teenage pregnancy and increase in secondary

education in six blocks of East Singhbhum district

by 2019. With equal participation of adolescent girls

and boys as their allies in 942 villages, the scale

and the gender-transformative impact of Sambhav

is unprecedented.

Sambhav worked with 47,000 adolescents between

14-18 years by establishing a girls’ and boys’

adolescent group in each village. A youth who

showed keen interest and leadership skills in

each group was then groomed as a peer educator

(PE) and trained in 10 life-skills modules such as

decision making, problem solving, financial literacy

and child rights. The PEs cascaded these trainings

adolescents (14,420 girls) reached

down to their youth groups.

through 1,614 adolescent groups

22,643

and 1,878 peer educators trained

Sambhav also worked to fill gaps in forming and

strengthening Child Protection Committees (CPCs).

village-level CPCs with 8,241

Vibrant village and block level CPCs worked in

members, 6 block-level CPCs

tandem to identify and address child protection

942

and 42 parents’ groups

issues in their regular meetings. Parents were

established

oriented and mobilised on child rights issues.

Intergenerational dialogues were established to

spark conversations at panchayat and block-level

FLWs, teachers and village-

meetings that were pivotal in giving children the

level CPC members trained to

opportunity and support needed to voice their

3,562

support vulnerable children and

concerns.

adolescents

Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Sahiyas were

Key Strategies

trained on CPC as well as other issues faced by

adolescents. Their routine meetings were attended

by Sambhav team members to drive AWWs to

Advocacy,

take on the health and nutritional issues of the

System

Social

Peer

adolescents.

Strengthening,

Mobilisation

Education

Capacity

Sambhav and its youth champions prevented 40

Building

child marriages in 6 months. Coming together

of stakeholders has led to self-sustained

youth empowerment supported by the larger

There is still a lot of work

community. Sambhav is now being merged with

Tejaswini, a programme run by the Government of

to be done, especially in

Jharkhand and the World Bank for socioeconomic

the area of gender equality,

empowerment of adolescent girls and young

women. Tejaswini will be based on Sambhav’s

girls’ education, hygiene and

learnings and will provide sustainability and

sanitation.

continuity for the young community leaders shaped

by Sambhav.

Pari, 21

Sambhav alumna

Our Flagship Programmes

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and

Uttarakhand

swachh bharat

In 2015, the Government of India launched Smart

Cities Mission, an initiative to drive economic growth

and improve the quality of life by enabling local

swachh vidyalaya

An NDTV feature on how the project has helped create happy
learning ecosystems and boost attendance in schools.

development and harnessing technology. The mission

also includes developing school infrastructure and

improving classroom activities.

Plan India, with USAID and Coca Cola India,

launched the ‘Urban WASH - Swachh Bharat

Swachh Vidyalaya’ (SBSV) project to support the

Government of India’s Smart City Mission. The

three-year project which concluded in July 2019,

has created a replicable model for developing need-

based child-friendly WASH infrastructure in schools. It

also advocated the effective use of this infrastructure

and its eventual ownership by School Management

Committees (SMCs). SBSV created age, gender and

ability appropriate infrastructure in 20 schools each in

three cities - Vishakhapatnam, Pune and Dehradun.

All 3 of these will now scale the project across all

crore rupees mobilised by

government schools in their respective municipalities

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal

with support from Plan’s implementation partners.

Corporation (GVMC) for SBSV

model due to Plan’s efforts

The project aimed at helping duty bearers, teachers,

SMCs, community members and children in realising

children (58.2% girls) provided

their right to equitable and sustainable access to

access to potable water and safe

improved sanitation facilities and safe drinking

24,870

sanitation

water. It also worked to increase awareness on the

impact of open defecation and hygiene on health. It

prioritised developmental aspects to ensure better

increase (13% for girls) in school

enrolment, retention and development of the children

14%

enrolment

and building a conducive learning atmosphere to

promote continued education. SBSV empowered

Child WASH Parliaments (Bal Swachhata Samitis)

to take part in the close monitoring, proper use and

smarter, healthier,

maintenance of school WASH infrastructure.

stronger

The project engaged municipal and education

Gautam’s daughter Priyanka studied in a private

department personnel for delivering on their

school at Visakhapatnam. In spite of the increased

responsibilities towards ensuring quality WASH in

expenses, Gautam was willing to make sacrifices for

identified schools. The emphasis was on participation

a school he associated with good infrastructure and

of girls and engagement around menstrual hygiene

a good education.

management helped address dropout rates. Plan

India developed knowledge products and presented

Over the years, Gautam observed a GVMC

them to the government to ensure sustained

primary school run near his workplace. The school

maintenance of WASH infrastructure and continued

had steadily improved in terms of infrastructure

hygienic practices. School WASH forums were

development, cleanliness, engagement of parents

established under the aegis of government officials,

and SMC members, and the children’s engagement.

CSOs, multi-lateral organisations and the private

He noted how the attendance was up, and the

sector for sustained impact and scalability. Of special

children showed more confidence, discipline and

note is the development of the children as agents of

leadership. Witnessing the close monitoring of the

change to lead the interventions themselves.

children’s welfare by the principal and the teachers,

he transferred Priyanka to the GVMC Primary

I would like to thank SBMA (Plan India’s

School where she is flourishing today.

partner) and recommend taking this

movement to schools across Dehradun.

Baby Rani Maurya

Honourable Governor of Uttarakhand

Andhra pradesh and Telangana

According to the Census of India 2011, India is

anti child labour

home to 0.43 crore child labourers, depriving

children as young as five of their childhood,

education, potential and dignity. Gaps in enactment

programmes

and enforcement of child protection laws, lack of

awareness among communities and economic

human dignity foundation

Members of the communities supported by Plan India
and key stakeholders’ share how the project has
helped change the social norms and created
livelihood opportunities to prevent child labour.

factors result in children entering the workforce,

often working in difficult conditions.

In June 2013, Plan India launched a large-scale

project to prevent, protect and rehabilitate at-

risk children under 14 by strengthening laws and

institutions for child protection and establishing

community-based mechanisms, with support from

the Human Dignity Foundation (HDF).

Working in close collaboration with the district and

village CPCs, Plan India developed a systemic

approach to assessing and declaring villages

‘Child Labour Free’. The panchayat, members of

CPCs and children assessed and built evidence

on 4 indicators—incidence of child labour, school

enrolment, presence of a functional CPC and

children (49% girls) rescued;

a children’s group. The data was presented at

106,422 (50% girls) enrolled

Panchayat meetings. The Panchayat members

130,433

in school; 99,201 (50% girls)

then submitted a resolution to the District Collector

retained in school by the end of

for validation. The Government of Telangana

the project in July 2018

has adopted this model to achieve its goal of

Child Labour Free Telangana by 2021. Plan

India supported the government in developing

villages declared ‘Child Labour Free’

guidebooks on child labour free Telangana and

zones after two-tier assessment

728

trained 110 Labour Department officials for

proposed by Plan India

enforcement.

The most effective strategies in the project were

economic and educational rehabilitation. Supporting

vulnerable families supported with

the most vulnerable households by enhancing their

livelihood start-up grants ensuring

10,159

livelihood options helped ensure that their children

children remain enrolled in school

never entered the labour force again. Enrolling

children in school and regular follow up resulted in

children being retained in schools.

paying it forward

The learnings from the HDF project formed the

base for the ‘Combating Child Domestic Labour’

Indu, one of the girls rescued and rehabilitated

project, an intervention exclusively for children

has been recognised for her contributions in

engaged as domestic labourers and currently

improving the lives of girls in her community.

under implementation in Andhra Pradesh and

Once a child labourer herself, Indu was rescued

Odisha. The true win for the project is the shift in

and mainstreamed into the formal school system

the communities that formerly considered it a norm

and continuously monitored and supported her

to send their young children to work. The triumph

education. Indu has now enrolled in junior college

is in the children standing up for themselves and

and is the president of the children’s forum

demanding their right to a better life.

established by Plan. She hopes to become a police

officer one day.

I have helped enrol 50 child labourers in schools in

my village and stopped 10 child marriages. As the

president of Children’s Forum in my school, I have

come to understand child protection structures

and mechanisms.

Indu

Girl Changemaker

Our Flagship Programmes

odisha and andhra Pradesh

combating child

As per the Census of India 2011, there are

11,720,724 children between the ages of 5 and 14

domestic labour

engaged in work. Despite existing legislation, children

in India continue entering the workforce due to gaps

in enforcement and lack of awareness.

Plan India’s Combating Child Domestic Labour

Project extends the scope, best practices and reach

of past initiatives and builds upon their success. The

key lies in strengthening non-existent or inactive

CPCs in villages. Members of the committees are

oriented on the issue of child domestic labour,

reporting mechanisms, guidelines for declaring

an area ‘Child Labour Free’ and their roles and

responsibilities in combating child labour.

Objectives

Prevent, protect, and rehabilitate children by:

• Strengthening community-based child protection

mechanisms

• Educational rehabilitation of children

children (61% girls) rescued from

• Economic empowerment of families

child labour, of which 675 children

rescued from child domestic labour

942

Coordination with the government played an

(79% girls) and rehabilitated

important role in enforcing the legal framework by

undertaking rescue operations and mainstreaming

children (52% girls) vulnerable

rescued children in the formal education system.

to child labour safeguarded

Trainings were held for officials from the police,

6,927

through education and economic

judiciary and the departments of labour, education

rehabilitation

and women and child development. Plan India

supported government services through district-level

advocacy, developing IEC materials, organising

vulnerable households supported

workshops and initiating awareness campaigns.

1,857

with grants for small businesses

For sustainability, rescued and at-risk children were

supported with tuitions at 160 locations to address

gaps in learning and ensuring continued attendance.

In addition, a preventive mechanism was adopted for

safeguarding success

the economic empowerment of parents through start-

Sobharani started working as a domestic help

up grants. Plan India supported selected families

to earn a living when her husband, a person

with a 6,000 rupees grant for enhancing household

living with HIV, could no longer support the

incomes, developing business plans, continuous

family. When she couldn’t make ends meet,

training and supporting their entrepreneurial skills.

her daughters Manisha, 13, and Nandini, 10,

took on the burden of supporting their family

The district administration has accepted the

on their thin little shoulders. When the village

guidelines for the ‘Child Labour Free’ villages and has

CPC learned of their circumstances, they gave

constituted core committees to monitor and verify the

Sobharani a livelihood support loan of 6,000

‘Child Labour Free’ status. 120 urban and rural areas

rupees to start her tailoring shop.

in Andhra Pradesh have been declared ‘Child Labour

Free’ by the district administration. Work with the

Today, Sobharani runs her shop with pride

community has also borne fruit as members of 320

and her girls are back in school, putting down

CPCs and Forums monitor children in schools and

strong roots for a better tomorrow. These strong

communities.

women are a role model for other families in

their village and leading advocates for Plan

Plan India’s hard work culminates through village

India’s initiative.

elders and leaders watching over communities,

representatives of civil society organisations adopting

best practices and the children themselves engaging

as agents for change.

Mother to child transmission is a major cause of HIV

in children. AHANA, a flagship national programme,

Project ahana

is working for a world where no child is born

with HIV/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

(AIDS). It focuses on elimination of mother-to-child

transmission of HIV and is implemented by Plan

India with support from The Global Fund.

More than 50% of India’s pregnancies occur in

villages and blocks, where availability of HIV testing

in health facilities remains a challenge. AHANA is

remarkable in its sheer scope and aims to cover

55% of India’s annual pregnancy load and reach

1.65 crore annual pregnancies across 357 districts

in 14 states each year with HIV testing. AHANA also

provides care and support to HIV exposed babies

till they are 18 months old, along with facilitating

postpartum care for the lactating mother.

AHANA is being implemented in close coordination

with the National AIDS Control Organisation

(NACO) and National Health Mission (NHM)

to influence policies and strategies in both the

design and implementation phases of the NHM

Programme. The capacity building, demand

crore pregnant women tested for

generation and advocacy initiatives of AHANA

HIV from July 2018 to June 2019,

have resulted in improved testing and treatment

1.3

95% of HIV-positive pregnant

through support at antenatal care camps. Plan

women put on ART

India has trained more than 50,000 FLWs to carry

infants exposed to HIV completed

out HIV testing, raising the percentage of pregnant

their first early infant HIV diagnosis

women receiving HIV testing from a dismal 18%

(EID) within two months of birth, up

in September 2015 to 61% in June 2019. A key

88%

from 22% from June 2018 to

outcome of Plan India’s evidence-based advocacy

July 2019

has resulted into local procurement of HIV test kits

and consumables by the state governments to meet

the increased demand at the peripheral level.

ANMs and 9,000 ICTC, ART and

STI counsellors to be trained

30,000

AHANA helps Plan India work parallelly towards

across the country

delivering improved outcomes for institutional

delivery, breast feeding, adoption of safe sex

practices and other pre-natal and ante-natal care.

It also works at creating an enabling social and

towards a

family environment through advocacy and outreach

to improve the quality of life of people living with

Healthier future

HIV, linking them with social welfare schemes and

Tears streamed down Sonali’s face as she

livelihood support services.

watched blood being drawn from her new-born

daughter’s toe. Sonali had tested positive for HIV

Apart from deliveries managed by the government

in the third trimester of her pregnancy during a

institutions, round 18% of the pregnancies

routine visit at the antenatal care camp, as had

are managed and delivered through private

her spouse. Immediately, the couple were referred

institutions in the 14 states of the programme

to the ART centre and treatment was initiated.

area. In phase II, AHANA has established

Throughout her pregnancy, Sonali received

collaborations with Federation of Obstetric and

support not only for adherence but also nutrition,

Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), Indian

counselling on hygiene and safe practices

Medical Association (IMA) and Indian Academy

for prevention of parent to child transmission

of Paediatrics (IAP) to intensify case finding and

(PPTCT) and care for the new-born from the

centre. Ready for timely EID for their daughter,

both parents remain resolute to do everything to

ensure a healthy future for their little daughter.

delhi

A whopping 4.1 crore or 71% of deaths occur due

young health

to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally.

In India, NCDs account for 63% of deaths. Young

Health Programme (YHP) is one of the few

programme

How YHP is working to build capacity, generating
awareness and creating demand for health services
in Delhi and Chennai.

initiatives that focuses on the burgeoning problem of

early deaths due to chronic ailments such as cardio-

vascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases

and diabetes. Besides NCDs, YHP also works to

raise awareness about adolescent health issues,

such as sexual and reproductive health and rights.

YHP sensitises youth through sessions at

schools and youth-led Health Information Centres

(HICs). YHP is one of the first projects to have

commissioned community score card exercises

to rate government health facilities and establish

monthly inter-generational dialogues. HICs are a

critical element in grooming young people for taking

the lead in spreading knowledge and awareness

within their communities

young people (46,740 girls) had

A recent win for YHP has been extending their

direct meaningful interactions

80,295

interventions at schools for 226 teachers and 4,500

through YHP activities

students. A successful signature campaign led by

children lobbied with the municipal bodies for the

parents, siblings, teachers, health

development of an open gym in a community park.

workers and government stakehold-

32,368

The YHP team sensitised 288 AWWs, ASHAs,

ers reached indirectly

and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) on how to

limit risk behaviours among youth and promote

peer educators actively build

adolescent-friendly health services at primary

awareness and led activities in

2,500

health centres. The team also routinely organises

communities and HICs

nutrition awareness camps at Anganwadis and

HICs to sensitise young people and encourage

families to adopt healthy eating habits keeping

bridging

various variables into consideration such as

cultural acceptability, seasonality and low cost. In

generational gaps

addition, sports sessions are organised within the

communities to combat inactive lifestyles.

Sultanpuri is no different from other slums

with low literacy level among resident adults,

The project, due to end in 2020, has achieved

mostly migrants from rural areas. Still living with

sustainability by training PEs to take the helm

conservative traditions they grew up with, it was

within their communities. Enrolment and active

inconceivable for most parents to talk to their

leadership in HICs and youth clubs where they

children about menstrual hygiene, puberty, sexual

plan and facilitate sessions motivates the PEs.

health and other ‘taboo’ topics.

These champions of change have also been trained

in street theatre over four years, thus creating a

Through the HICs, YHP successfully initiated

means of livelihood for their theatre society and

monthly intergenerational dialogue within

adding to the sustainability of YHP.

communities. Here, youths openly discuss sexual

and reproductive health, menstrual hygiene,

tuberculosis, dengue and malaria. Gender issues,

risks associated with early marriage and early

pregnancy are also often deliberated upon to foster

a gender-just mindset. Parents learn and share

their observations about the programme as they

witness how it is changing lives of their children.

The YHP team takes much pride in having triggered

these dialogues that chip away at social norms that

create gender injustice.

Our Flagship Programmes

maharashtra

Child malnutrition has emerged as a silent national

emergency and the greatest human developmental

nutrition india

challenge that accounts for 68% of all infant

mortality. Plan India launched the Nutrition India

Programme with support from Reckitt Benckiser in

programme

An NDTV special report on combating malnutrition in tribal districts of Maharashtra through the Nutrition India Programme and the work of community nutrition workers towards achieving the goal of zero new born deaths.

the two tribal districts in Maharashtra - Amravati and

Nandurbar - to combat this issue.

Key Aims

• Improve the nutritional status of children during the

first 1,000 days of birth

•

40% reduction in the number of children under-5

who are stunted

• Reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less

than 5%

The project has adopted an integrated, multi-sectoral

approach which involves communities, CSOs and

government agencies. Its design employed distinct

features like ethnographic research which seeks to

understand the gaps, needs and on-ground realities

of the families. Similarly, interventions were designed

mothers of malnourished children

with a human-centred approach which involved

to be reached in five years and

talking to the community to capture socio-cultural

village-level functionaries, religious

insights. This research informed decisions such as

177,000

leaders, traditional healers in

the location and timings of centres, which resulted

communities to be influenced to

in enhanced adoption and social acceptability of the

address child malnutrition

programme outreach and engaging first-of-its-kind

female-only cadre of Community Nutrition Workers

(CNWs).

NGOs to be influenced to engage

50+

actively on child malnutrition

CNWs are sensitised and trained by public health

experts, paediatricians, gynaecologists and

community development specialists. They identify

vulnerable pregnant women and children to deliver

government health personnel in

home-based, tailor-made, focussed healthcare

villages to be influenced through

and interventions on sanitation and hygiene. They

lobbying with the state and national

1,000

also help in skill-building of FLWs to overcome

governments to replicate best

breastfeeding failures, WASH practices and

practices

counselling nutrition for infant and young-children.

To promote behaviour change, the project crafted

stronger smiles

standard messaging which was delivered using

specially designed games, nutrition kits, multimedia

Rani’s parents were worried about their 6-month old

stimuli and community festivals. The project

baby girl who had been diagnosed with severe acute

launched conditional cash transfer to enable

malnutrition and started showing signs of medical

the families of high-risk pregnant women and

complications with a severe risk to life. Yet, her

malnourished children to use services offered by the

anxious parents were reluctant to admit Rani fearing

public health system. Plan India also worked with

loss of livelihood.

the state government to renovate and strengthen

Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) and

Things turned around for Rani when Plan’s CNW

regularise the functioning of village health and

counselled her parents about the NRC with timings

nutrition days.

that would minimise any impact on their home and

work routines. Rani recovered after 21 days of

The project is a first in utilising blockchain-enabled

intensive treatment in the NRC. Now at her target

digital technology for real-time data monitoring

weight, her smile and gurgles not only fill her house

and service verification to track and enable

with the sounds of a healthy tomorrow but also gives

conditional cash transfers. Geo-tagged and real-time

hope to mothers of other malnourished children.

dashboards provide accurate, real-time monitoring of

project progress.

Bihar, Delhi, JHarkhand, kArnataka,

digital learning

tamil nadu, Telangana and uttar pradesh

Indian schools witness a sharp drop in the number

of enrolments, especially for girls, after grade 8¹

Centres

A DLC graduate and her parents talk about how the
centre has transformed her life and her community.

as about 42% children enter the workforce soon

after completing the minimum schooling mandated

by the Right to Education Act (2009). Of the small

percentage that remain, quality education is not

affordable and is often reserved for the boys. Plan

India has set about levelling the playing ground for

girls through its Digital Learning Centres (DLCs).

Based on the Communications for Development

(C4D) approach, these networked centres utilise

internet-based solutions to provide quality education

to girls and young women in the age group of 12-

20 years and help them complete their education

at least till grade 10. Recognising an important

link between limited mobility of girls and access to

progressive learning opportunities, the project takes

learning support right to their communities.

networked and non-networked

DLCs and 4 hubs set up

104

Digital Learning Centres work to:

1. Address challenges posed by unequal lives,

families sensitised till date about

education and employment opportunities

100,000

the need for girls’ education

2. Support continued higher education through

tutoring and career counselling

girls graduated after receiving

3. Impart leadership skills and personality

23,857

support to complete high school

development to strengthen their self-esteem

The project also makes use of policy-based

advocacy a key method for creating real change.

wind beneath their wings

Parents who associate TVs with only entertainment

Ranju dropped out of school after grade 8 after

are educated about blended learning and

an accident left her house-bound and her routine

counselled through sustained home visits to change

restricted to light household tasks. Isolated and

perceptions about girls’ potential. Involving fathers

frustrated, she started falling behind her peers in

to connect digitally and inspire each other has

academics.

resulted in their becoming advocates for gender

equality. An extensive alumna group now acts as

Then, someone told her family about the DLC

peer educators, help develop projects at the centres

within their community. Her trips to the centre

and champion the change from within communities.

increased her confidence and helped with her

rehabilitation. Today, Ranju not only keeps up with

The DLCs in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and

her studies at school but has reclaimed her social

Hyderabad are networked DLCs and use internet

life and independence.

to provide quality education. These DLCs have

trained 65.4% of the alumni and the plan is to

replicate them across India. Another model being

We didn’t have enough resources to

implemented in states like Bihar, Jharkhand and

support Smita through private tuitions

Uttar Pradesh is non-networked DLCs which are

and we couldn’t teach her ourselves. I

smart classrooms and cater to children from schools

was reluctant to send her to the DLC’s

and government-run children’s homes.

as I had never heard of something like

this before. But my daughter insisted,

DLCs remain a powerful tool in fulfilling Plan’s

and I am happy that she took a good

broader mission-building girls’ agency to have

decision for her life.

greater control over decisions that affect them

while strengthening their voice through knowledge,

confidence and skills.

Mrs. Paramshila Dubey

¹https://prathamusa.org/press/pratham-releases-aser-2017-beyond-basics/

Mother of an alumna

Our Innovative Programmes

Uttar Pradesh

Seeds 4 Life is Plan India’s one-of-its-kind low-cost,

seeds for life

sustainable, green approach to improve water quality

and address nutritional deficiency using seeds of the

Moringa plant.

We learnt about the

Sahjan (moringa) tree

As early as 1979, studies were conducted on the

and how it is helpful

coagulative properties of Moringa Oleifera (drumstick

in cleaning water

adolescent girls held

or sahjan) seeds for purifying turbid water. Later,

and in addressing

85 sessions over 3

a study in Senegal in 1997-98 to examine the

the issue of iron

months to scale up

ability of powdered Moringa leaves to prevent and

deficiency. My friends

the pilot

cure malnutrition showed encouraging results in

and I have now

combating anaemia in pregnant and breastfeeding

planted Sahjan trees

new drumstick

women and increasing infant birth weight. Plan India

in our backyards

150

saplings planted

generated awareness through community meetings

and have started

and demonstrations and groomed the youth to

promoting its use.

scale the pilot to a community-led, sustainable

programme.

chandni, 17

Basouhari Village, Uttar Pradesh

With only one seed needed to treat 1 litre of water,

How Seeds for Life is turning out to be a cost-effective way to treat turbid water and the way forward for the project.

Plan India’s promotion of cultivation of Moringa in

kitchen gardens to increase access and lower costs

Our Programme Coordinator –
DRR explains how Eco
Education raises awareness
and prepares 40 rural
communities in Telangana
for addressing climate change,
with focus on girls
leading the initiative.

will have far-reaching consequences in improving

WASH and nutrition status of communities.

telangana

The daily lives of the residents of Vikarabad district

eco education

of Telangana are full of surprises. The land that

was drought-prone, over-farmed and nearly barren

due to fertiliser and pesticide overuse is now

children (607 girls and 608 boys)

slowly recovering through organic farming. Lively

from 80 child forums in 40 schools

1,215

discussions about low-cost, replicable ways to save

and communities trained

the environment are overheard at child forums

formed at schools, communities and environment

EPCs with 723 members (460 men

protection committees (EPCs) in the communities.

and 169 women, 48 boys and 46

Households tend to kitchen gardens which they

girls) strengthened through support

passionately advocate for environmental and

and training

livelihoods support while others are learning to

make seed balls that can fill barren lands with lush

greenery again.

families across 40 communities

supported for the development of

550

This is the effect of Plan India’s “Child Friendly

kitchen gardens

Schools in Environmentally Sensitive Communities”

project. Run in 40 schools and neighbourhoods with

I learnt for the first

support from Oracle India, the project is a part of

time how extreme

Plan India’s effort to prepare communities for climate

heat and climate

change. The goal is to create model schools and

change has an

enable children to become environmentally sensitive

impact on children

while realising their rights to quality education and

and parents at the

holistic development. The first-of-its-kind project in

sessions conducted

the state, it is in alignment with the government’s

by Eco Clubs in our

‘Haritha Haram’ programme to raise awareness

school. We planted

and greenery in the villages. It interfaces with

more trees in our

panchayat, mandal and district level government

schools and villages

agencies to strengthen community structures so that

and also shared the

they can lead the initiative themselves. The project

information with

also raises awareness through behaviour change

other children.

communication among children, parents, teachers,

community members so that they can negotiate with

bhagya

their panchayat and government for secure futures.

Class VII

uttarakhand

It has been Plan India’s belief that the best

bal vidhan sabha

Bal Vidhan Sabha members and project team members
talk about how the project provides a platform for
children to actively participate in the democratic process.

advocates for child rights are the children

themselves. Over the years, Plan has designed and

implemented many community-led programmes that

are sustainable due to the deep engagement of the

beneficiaries with the cause.

Uttarakhand’s Bal Vidhan Sabha (Children’s

Assembly) is one such child-led advocacy forum

that works to improve the lives and give a voice to

over 0.4 crore children from the state.

The advocacy forum is run in close collaboration

with the State Commission for Protection of Child

Rights (SCPCR) and receives patronage from the

speaker of the state Assembly.

Run across 13 districts, 3,000 children have applied

for membership to the Children’s Assembly since

2014. To ensure unbiased representation, open

applications are requested through advertisements

Bal Vidhayaks (105 girls) selected from 13

in newspapers. A thorough process led by a

districts of Uttarakhand trained to create

review committee selects 70 members, with equal

210

awareness about rights, laws and schemes

representation of boys and girls. These selected

for child protection

Bal Vidhayaks conduct elections to elect their Chief

Minister and other ministers, the leader of the

opposition, and a speaker.

schools reported building separate toilets

based on recommendations submitted to the

Children learn democratic values and are provided

90%

government by Bal Vidhayaks

with a platform to discuss child rights issues in

their areas and explore solutions. The solutions

are shared with the state government for further

children and youth participated in the

action in the form of resolutions passed in annual

development of a Charter of Demands

sessions of the Children’s Assembly. About 100

advocating an increased focus and

2,000

such resolutions have been submitted to the state

policies for child rights submitted to the

government since inception which have contributed

state government in 2017

to government actions like strengthening the

commitments of the Juvenile Justice Act at district

level and development of WASH infrastructure in

stronger together

schools. The only structured Children’s Assembly

of its kind, the Bal Vidhan Sabha promotes

Anshul Bhatt has been a member of the Bal Vidhan

equal opportunities and presents an avenue for

Sabha since its inception. As the inaugural batch

participation and representation in the democratic

of the Bal Vidhan Sabha, members were issued

process to young girls and boys.

special cards by the SCPCR that allowed them

access to government officials who could never

refuse the Bal Vidhayaks a patient hearing. This

I am happy to learn that the Bal

encouragement gave Anshul and his colleagues

Vidhan Sabha is the only structured

the confidence to engage deeply with government

forum for children participation in

agencies and look at developmental problems. The

governance. I feel privileged to be

members of the Bal Vidhan Sabha formed a group

the patron of this forum. I will share

called ‘Students Against Corruption’ which took on

this with the speakers of other

the issue of government schools illegally charging

states and assure you that the Chief

a fee not mandated by the government. The group

Minister and I will work to resolve the

brought the case of the students to the Chief

issues identified by you.

Educational Officer of the district and succeeded in

securing a refund of 60,000 rupees for about 300

Prem Chand

students.

Aggarwal

Honourable Speaker,

Uttarakhand State Legislative Assembly

Our Innovative Programmes

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh (UP) has come a long way from a

campaign on

time when Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute

Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) caused several

hundred deaths each year. The state has not only

japanese

had success in drastically reducing the number of

incidences of the diseases but has also earned

plaudits for the resounding success of its initiative¹.

encephalitis

Plan India signed an MoU with the Government of

UP and pushed for letting the communities lead the

and acute

initiative. Plan India was one of the key organisations

working to complement the Dastak Abhiyan of the

Government of UP for raising awareness through

encephalitis

social behaviour change communication (SBCC).

In a first for Plan India in UP, it initiated a mid-media

campaign under the Dastak Abhiyan to roll out

syndrome

The role of Plan India in the ‘Dastak Abhiyaan’ organised by Uttar Pradesh government to tackle Japanese Encephalitis in the state.

social behaviour change communication (SBCC)

on curative and preventive measures through street

theatre, folk music and the mobile vans.

In addition, Plan India supported the state

government in organising training and orientation

programmes for critical stakeholders including

frontline workers, teachers and Village Health,

Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC)

members. ASHAs were equipped with SBCC

resources developed by Plan India and its partners

for the awareness-raising, door-to-door Dastak

campaign which spread key messages among

community members.

Plan India’s initiative has resulted in

a significant reduction in incidences

reduction in the case fertility

of JE/AES cases. People are taking

rate of AES, down from 15%

care of cleanliness, adhering to

in 2017 to 7 % till August 2019²

other preventive as well as curative

measures and availing facilities of

government health services. It’s a

average days of admission,

multi-dimensional, holistic effort that

2.3

down from 5 days

has helped in changing the behaviour

of the community. The Gram Niyojan

Kendra team is now technically

increase in referral to the

equipped enough to take this initiative

encephalitis treatment centres as

forward.

31%

the first point of contact, up from

27% in 2017 to 58% in 2019

Dr. sutapa mukherjee

Secretary-cum-Director,

¹https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/

Gram Niyojan Kendra

encephalitis-deaths-drop-by-66-in-east-up-in-2018/articleshow/68051563.

NGO Partner, Plan India

cms?from=mdr

²Integrated disease surveillance Programme (IDSP) report of 2017 and

2019 of Government of Uttar Pradesh

creating a people’s movement

plan india impact awards 2018

Community frontline workers and volunteers shoulder the responsibility to drive India’s large-scale

development and outreach programmes. The functionaries play a critical role in bridging gaps and enabling

effective exchanges between communities and service providers.

The Plan India Impact Awards (PIIA) honour and motivate these unsung champions of change and provide a

platform to reinforce and replicate best practices advancing the development discourse. It is an effort to tell

compelling stories of everyday heroes to inspire change, for good.

This year’s edition of the Awards took place on 27 July 2018 in New Delhi and saw significant growth in terms

of scale, coverage and partnerships. The mark of pride for PIIA 2018 was a prestigious partnership with the

NITI Aayog. The 2018 Awards spanned an unprecedented 22 states across the country, scaling up from

13 in the first edition. PIIA 2018 exceeded Plan India’s intervention areas and engaged 190+ civil society

organisations working on contributing to the national development

agenda.

Categories

The awards strategy was developed in partnership with

• AWW/Anganwadi Sahayika

PricewaterhouseCoopers. Online orientation workshops were held

• ASHA/ANM

with 190+ partners across the country. To ensure a robust and

• Outreach Worker/FLW/PPTCT Worker/

transparent screening and selection process, multilevel evaluation

Swachhagrahi

of all 289 nominations took place against set parameters. After

• Community Volunteer

a preliminary screening, regional jury panels identified one

outstanding nominee from each region in every category for a total

• Youth Champion for Girls’ Rights

of 21 nominations from 3 regions: North, South East and North

• Best Child Welfare Committee

East + East India. Subsequently, a national jury of experts and

• Best School Management Committee

industry leaders convened to review the top three nominations per

category and selected seven national winners for the awards.

Award parameters

• Implementation

The chief guests for the awards ceremony were Mr. Amitabh

• Inclusion

Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and Ms. Shabana Azmi, veteran actress

• Innovation

and social activist, who spoke at the event, lauding winners and

• Impact

recognising their significant contributions. Mr. Pankaj Pachauri,

Founder, GoNews; Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha, Plan India Governing

Board Chairperson; Mr. Govind Nihalani, Plan India Chair Emeritus; Mr. Madhukar Kamath, Plan India

Governing Board Member; Mr. Deepak Dwivedi, Editor-in-Chief, Dainik Bhaskar and Mr. Dhimant Parekh,

Founder and CEO, The Better India numbered among the other dignitaries present at the event.

Media partners included Dainik Bhaskar, CNBC TV18, GoNews, Big FM, The Better India and Women’s

Web. As a curtain-raiser to the event, one-on-one interviews were organised with various media platforms

and Ms. Shabana Azmi. More than 20 media houses were present at the event. Over 86 stories published by

the media, including feature stories. Tweets, films, exclusive radio interviews and online campaigns sparked

conversations about the event and the winners.

A look at Plan India Impact Awards 2018 that celebrated the grass-root champions who dedicated their lives to bring the social change in their communities.

Our National Inititatives

International Day of the Girl 2018

While there has long been an International Women Day and an International Day of the Child, neither of these

days recognise the unique position of girls who are discriminated against simply for being young and female.

11 October, International Day of the Girl (IDG), is a result of Plan’s effort and Government of Canada to build a

coalition of support for young girls. As part of IDG, each October, girls from Plan-supported communities take

over leadership roles in political, economic and social spaces. They step into the shoes of influential leaders

and experts, fulfilling their responsibilities and demonstrating their power and potential to lead the way into the

future.

IDG 2018 celebrations hit a high with the presence of Plan India’s Patron and Goodwill Ambassador,

Mr. Anil Kapoor, a noted philanthropist, producer and actor. Mr. Kapoor, who has lent his support for girls’

rights for more than 12 years, launched ‘Girls Get Equal’.

why takeovers?

Takeovers

Embassies, High Commissions and Delegations

• Showcase the potential of girls on a national level

Australia | Belgium | Canada | Czech Republic |

• Partner with decision makers, influencers and

Denmark | Estonia | European Union | Finland |

stakeholders to support girls rights

Germany | Israel | Netherlands | Poland | Slovenia

• Engage young people through a meaningful and

| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | United States of

empowering process

America

IDG witnessed more than 100 girls from across 10 states spend three days in a preparatory workshop

acquiring skills for communication, negotiation, problem solving, confidence building and leadership. These

Girl Changemakers were selected through a comprehensive screening and selection process including fair

and transparent nominations assessment.

In Delhi, a collaboration between Plan India and the Delegation of the European Union to India witnessed

19 of these Girl Changemakers takeover 17 Embassies and High Commissions. Other Girl Changemakers

assumed the responsibilities of mayors, CEOs, chiefs of police, village council leaders, school principals and

chief editors across the country.

Starting at an early age in Plan’s programmes, the girls have progressed through children’s clubs, adolescent

girls’ groups, thematic working groups and technical and governance committees. Graduating now to state

and National Youth Advisory Panels and Children’s Assemblies, as seasoned experts, they help inform

programmatic decision making and ensure effective monitoring, implementation and advocacy.

The Takeovers culminated with an event on the eve of IDG attended by over 200 guests including Girl

Changemakers, their counterparts, diplomats, civil society and industry leaders, influencers, government

officials and many more. Girl Changemakers kicked off proceedings by presenting the National Youth Charter,

developed by young people across Plan’s programme areas to ensure no girl is left behind. A panel discussion

on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality was moderated by Mr. Rajiv Chandran,

Deputy Head, United Nations Information Centre, and garnered powerful thoughts and recommendations. A

powerful ‘Gender Walk’ installation invited attendees to experience first-hand the life and times of a girl and

the challenges she must overcome.

A look back at the International Day of the Girl 2018 and
Takeovers by girl changemakers. The event also saw
Mr. Anil Kapoor launch Plan’s global campaign,
“Girls Get Equal”.

Delhi, RaJasthan and Uttar Pradesh

As many as 27% of Indian girls get married before

360° campaigns

they are 18 years of age. Plan India’s Anti Child

Marriage campaign addresses the urgent need

anti child

to create large-scale awareness in communities

about the legal provisions of the Prohibition of Child

marriage campaign

A detailed report on Plan India’s 40-day campaign in
Delhi to combat child marriages by raising awareness
on laws and legislations related to it.

Marriage Act, 2006 to discourage communities from

propagating or supporting child marriage.

In Uttar Pradesh, the campaign is a part of Plan

India’s work on child protection in 5 districts. The

campaign advocates with the district administration

to set accountabilities of the gram panchayats

and build awareness of the FLWs. As a result

of the initiative and Plan’s advocacy, district

administrations have taken cognisance of the

issue and issued directives to assess and track the

incidences of child marriages in the meetings of

the village CPCs and gram panchayats. Religious

leaders have emerged as allies of the campaign

due to Plan’s engagement and sensitisation

drives. Marriage organisers and vendors are also

sensitised on their roles in preventing child marriage

and the legal implications if found party to any such

marriages. This helps in creating social and legal

uttar pradesh

pressure against child marriage in the long run.

Gram Panchayats reached through

In Delhi, Plan India organised a 40-day campaign

Behaviour Change Communication/

across 5 districts in 2019 which worked with

157

IEC material to spread awareness

municipal bodies and counsellors to make them

on legal provisions

accountable for preventing child marriages. A similar

campaign was also initiated in selected blocks of

child marriage prevented by

Bikaner, Churu and Sri Ganganagar districts of

CPC member and children in

Rajasthan.

programme areas

The campaign has yielded a broader action plan,

Gram Panchayats (GPs) declared

forums have been identified to work closely on

child-marriage free, no child

the issue and linkages formed to advocate with

marriages reported in the last

the state commission. Work is well under way to

2 years

ensure that no child loses health and educational

opportunities because of an early marriage-not

now, not ever.

delhi

children and youth groups reached

The campaign was an eye opener

21,157

through awareness sessions

for me. I had thought that obeying

your family’s wishes regarding

marriage shouldn’t be questioned.

religious leaders, influencers in

Now I understand that early

the community, vendors sensitised

387

marriage is not only illegal but also

and allied

harmful for a girl’s health.

key stakeholders and duty bearers

engaged through district level

manvi, 15

3,015

consultations and events

Girl Changemaker

Our National Inititatives

Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh

campaign on menstrual

The week of 28 May, Menstrual Hygiene Day, was a

busy one at Plan India. A live chat on Twitter brought

hygiene management

together the voices and actions of non-profits,

government officials, the private sector, individuals

and the media to spark a #PeriodsRNormal

conversation. In a first, religious leaders endorsed

the cause of initiating behaviour change dialogues

within communities, especially with men. Plan India

teams were conducting training and participating in

discussions as part of the NHM, Technical Support

Group for Adolescent Health, in Uttar Pradesh and

Uttarakhand.

All this was part of the Menstrual Hygiene

Management (MHM) campaign that not only

broke the silence around menstrual hygiene but

also challenged social taboos and discriminatory

practices prevalent in communities. MHM brought all

critical stakeholders including girls and boys, women

and men, ANMs, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers,

teachers, government health and ICDS departments

at district and block level as well as community

leaders under the umbrella of the campaign.

Objectives

• Going beyond hygiene to address social

taboos and changing social behaviour

• Religious leaders and male participation

girls across Uttar Pradesh and

sought to enable social change

Uttarakhand reached and

83,000+

• Service delivery at schools and villages for

oriented about the issue

maximum engagement

school teachers, ANMs, ASHAs

5,000+

and AWWs oriented

We received a lot of information

about hygiene, cleanliness,

myths and stigmas regarding

villages reached in the

menstrual hygiene management

2,100+

intervention area

Plan India’s work to break the taboos around menstrual hygiene management and promote menstrual health.

at the meetings. Earlier, we

wouldn’t touch jams or pickles

during our periods for fear of

them spoiling. Girls wouldn’t use

the incinerators at school as they

believed that it would affect their

health. Now, we know that these

are just superstitions.

mariyam, 14

Adolescent Girls’ Group member

Our National Inititatives

National Dialouges and

Knowledge Sharing

plan for every child 2018 - Girls get equal

The Plan for Every Child is a platform to highlight the cause of children in difficult circumstances (CIDC), foster

a holistic understanding of the issues, and drive cohesive policy dialogue about the situation. Organised every

year since 2016, it seeks to engender knowledge sharing and building, bringing solutions and influencing

policy makers.

The third national conference “Plan for Every Child - Girls Get Equal” was organised from December 5-7,

2018, in New Delhi. The agenda focused on prevention and safeguarding the children and their rights, justice

for children and the response towards a just future for children, especially girls.

More than 100 acclaimed academics, policy makers, development practitioners, members of the media,

corporate representatives, opinion leaders and experts from across the globe interacted with 500 young

people and children. Mr. Rakesh Ranjan, Advisor, NITI Aayog; Honourable Mr. Justice Madan B Lokur of the

Supreme Court of India; Ms. Shelley Thakral, Head of Policy Programmes (India, South Asia, and Central

Asia), Facebook; Ms. Mikiko Otani, Member, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child; Mr. JVR

Prasada Rao, Secretary, Governing Board, Plan India among others attended the conference.

Plan India took the initiative of bringing together the children from different parts of the country through four

regional consultations with the children. Speakers discussed the issues and challenges they face in creating a

safer environment for children.

challenges identified

embassies, high commissions delegation

1. Gender transformative education for both girls and boys

2. Better use of technology and social media to trace missing children

3. Collaboration of formal and informal system for better implementation of laws, schemes, policies and

programmes

4. Prevention of gender injustice

5. Accountability of authorities

Our National Inititatives

Stakeholders from across the board share their views on three-day Plan for Every Child Conference and its impact on achieving convergence for safeguarding the rights of children in difficult circumstances.

The conference strengthened the network and coalition of stakeholders working with girls. It was also

instrumental in highlighting the cause of CIDC among CSOs, the government, the judiciary and the media.

The conference culminated with the release of “Make My World Safe” report which brings out the voices of

children on safe and unsafe people and spaces. Deliberations received from the conference will now help in

forming a framework for influencing policymakers, supporting practitioners, communities and the youth.

For the last three years, Plan India has been holding a National Conference

pertaining to issues of children. The effort put into these National

Conferences have been remarkable in several ways. First of all, the

planning and focus of the National Conference are very important and in

this, Plan India has been tremendously successful as the present report

for the Third National Conference 2018 demonstrates. Then, the expertise

and commitment of the speakers and the passion that they have for

children have been overflowing, as page after page suggests. Finally, the

involvement of children, and not their mere participation, as the primary

stakeholder all through the year is more than evident from the report.

honourable Justice

Madan B. Lokur

Former Judge, Supreme Court of India

The country suffered not one but two unprecedented

humanitarian crises between 2018-19. The

our humanitarian

Kerala Floods in August 2018 were the worst

ever witnessed by the nation, affecting 0.54 crore

people as their houses and lives were ravaged by

response -
disaster

floodwaters and landslides, affecting 11 out of 14

districts. This was followed by Cyclone FANI making

risk management

landfall in Odisha in May 2019, with wind speeds

recorded at 200 kmph, leaving devastation and

destruction across 18,000 villages in their wake.

Plan India was one of the first non-profits to respond

to both the emergencies, working extensively with

the governments and entering into agreements for

relief and response.

In its first ever initiative in Kerala, Plan India with the

support of the district administrations carried

out relief work in five districts - Pathanamthitta,

Idukki, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur.

The families were supported with unique relief kit

consisting of dry ration and non-food items. In

addition children were provided with education kits

families received hygiene kits,

to ensure they did not miss on studies. Plan

daily need kits, utensils and dry

India ensured that young girls and women were

rations contextualised and cus-

consulted at every stage of the response beginning

22,000+

tomised according to the dietary

from needs assessment to the distribution. The

needs of the region

items in the relief kits were finalised based on the

situation, local requirements and suggestions from

the communities.

school going children received

educational kits to support

Identification, selection and finalisation of the

8,654

continued education

beneficiaries was done through a transparent and

participatory method to ensure the most needy

and vulnerable are reached. Feedback and

crore raised for relief work

complaints mechanism was set in place to ensure

through initiatives such as

accountability to the communities.

the 12-hour NDTV Telethon

10+

which mobilised support from

After the initial relief phase, Plan India

individuals and institutions from

continued making impact through the long-

around the world

term recovery phase in co-ordination with the

district administrations of Idukki, Pathanamthitta,

Alappuzha and Ernakulam.

back to school

Located in a very remote, rural village on a hilltop

was the government high school of Chottupura

The education department would make

with 69 students, mostly from families of migrant

Plan India’s design a model for future

daily wage labourers who worked in the plantations

renovation of WASH and drinking water

nearby. After the floods severely damaged the

facilities not only in Idukki, but also for

school and the surrounding area, the risk of

other parts of Kerala. Plan India has

dropouts rates spiking was a very real. When Plan

initiated and completed the worring

India started its recovery work, it initiated rebuilding

quality and within the timelines.

the school in consultation with the students,

parent bodies, school staff and the panchayat.

sri sanjeev

The upgraded school and WASH infrastructure

Personal Assistant to

encouraged parents and enrolment has increased

District Educational Officer, Kattappana

to 124 children. The SMC was recognised as the

best in the district by the education department. For

GHS Chottupura, the flood waters have receded,

leaving only bright futures in their wake.

The focus was on the upgradation of schools and

innovation

Anganwadi centres to ensure continued education

In Government High School at Vagamon, a

for children and livelihood support for families

handwash station was constructed completely from

affected in the floods. Plan India’s standards

single-use plastic water bottles with participation of

and quality of work within a fixed budget have

the children, with the grey water used in school’s

been lauded by the government and has set as a

the kitchen garden developed as part of Plan’s Eco

benchmark for other agencies.

Plan India’s work to provide humanitarian
support during Cyclone Fani.

Education initiative.

children and adults supported with

water, non-food items and dry

37,872

ration kits contextualised to the

areas’ dietary needs, in addition to

education kits for school students

girls and boys benefitted from

upgraded WASH infrastructure in

6,063

schools and Anganwadis centres

girls and boys, 812 community

members and 173 SMC members

participated in mock drills and

Cyclone FANI, said to be the most severe storm to

2,891

disaster preparedness activities in

have hit the Indian subcontinent in two decades,

schools

affected 1.6 crore people in the state. It laid waste

about 5 lakh houses, 1.88 lakh hectares of crops,

more than 7,000 educational institutions, 1,031

primary health centres and damaged 1.56 lakh

plan’s position in

electricity poles, leaving areas without electricity for

more than 10 days.

disaster risk reduction

•

Considered a strong implementing agency

Plan India was again the first organisation to initiate

and technical partner for strengthening the

relief in the worst affected district of Puri, with a

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) systems and

focus on Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad blocks

networks by various states governments

which were previously Plan’s sponsorship areas.

As part of the emergency response management,

•

Invited by the Telangana State Disaster

the aid included food and non-food items in these

Management Authority to support the

areas. Children from affected families were provided

state in preparation of the district disaster

with education kits to help them get back to schools.

management plans in all the 33 districts of

the state along with other agencies

As a part of its long-term work, Plan India has

•

Invited by Mumbai’s Disaster Management

strengthened child forums and environment

Cell for the development of preparedness

protection committees in 40 schools and sensitised

micro plans in urban low-lying and flooding-

communities, supported development of kitchen

prone slum areas Chembur

gardens and trained in the use of seed balls for

•

Approached by the Education department

reforesting barren land.

of the Idukki district in Kerala to support

development of operations and maintenance

protocol for the schools

•

Plan India is now the Chair of Sphere

India - a coalition of agencies working in

humanitarian sector

our partners

Corporate Partners

Institutional Partners

A W Faber - Castell (India) Pvt Ltd

Child Resilience Alliance

Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy

Columbia Group of Children in Adversity Inc.

Abercrombie and Kent India Pvt Ltd

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands

Adobe

Embassy, Delhi

European Union

American India Foundation supported by Coca-Cola

Fundacion Heres

Amway India Enterprises Pvt Ltd

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Astra Zeneca India Pvt Ltd

Human Dignity Foundation

AT & T Networks

National AIDS Control Organisation

BA Continuum India Pvt Ltd

Capgemini Technology Services India Pvt Ltd

UNICEF

USAID

Cipla Foundation

Credit Suisse

Grants Supported by Plan

Dabur India

Deutsche Bank

International National Offices

Eaton India Foundation

Plan International France - Fondation Enticelle

EIT Services India Pvt Ltd

Plan International Korea - Hyundai Motor India

Foundation

Ericsson India Pvt Ltd

Mobis India Foundation

Hinduja Global Solution

Hyundai Motor Group (Railway Part) via CCK

Hitachi India Pvt Ltd

Plan International Netherlands - Ministry of Foreign

HSBC Global Software Pvt Ltd

Affairs (MoFA), Netherlands

Huawei Telecommunications (India) Co Pvt Ltd

NPL (Nationale Postcode Lotterij)

J & K Bank

Plan International UK - Credit Suisse

Mahindra Comvia

AstraZeneca

Metso India Pvt Ltd

Plan International USA - TOMS Shoes

Mitsui Chemicals India Pvt Ltd

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP)

NSE Foundation

Centre for Disaster Philanthropy (CADP)

Oracle - CAF

Plan International Germany

PCL Foods Pvt Ltd

Plan International Japan

PNB Housing Finance Ltd

Plan International Hong Kong - Government of the

Reckitt Benckiser India Pvt Ltd

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,

Relaxo Foundation

Disaster Relief Fund (DRF)

Selan Exploration Technology Ltd

Plan International Norway

SpiceJet Ltd

Standard Chartered Bank

Implementation Partners

The Indian Hotel Company Ltd

Arthik Anusandhan Kendra, Uttar Pradesh

Uniglobe Travel (South Asia) Pvt Ltd

Adithi, Bihar

Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles Ltd

Academy of Gandhian Studies, Andhra Pradesh

Alamb, Delhi

Alwar Mewat Institute of Education and Development,

Rajasthan

Anchal Charitable Trust, Delhi

National Coalition of People Living with HIV In India,

New Delhi

Association for Promoting Social Action, Andhra

Pradesh

Nav Jagriti, Bihar

Association for Rural Awareness and Mass Voluntary

Nav Srishti, Delhi

Action, Odisha

Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra, Jharkhand

Association for Rural Uplift and National Allegiance,

NIDAN, Bihar

Odisha

People’s Action for National Integration, Uttar

Dr A.V. Baliga Memorial Trust, Delhi

Pradesh

Bharati Integrated Rural Development Society,

Piramal Swasthya Management and Research

Andhra Pradesh

Institute,Telangana

Bal Vikas Dhara, Delhi

Rural Education and Action for Liberation Villupuram,

Cap Foundation, Telangana

Tamil Nadu

Community Aid & Sponsorship Programme,

Sadhana, Telangana

Maharashtra

Social Action for Integrated Development Services,

Centre for Communication and Development Studies,

Andhra Pradesh

Maharashtra

Samvad Samajik Sansthan, Uttar Pradesh

Committed Communities Development Trust,

Shri Bhuwaneshwari Mahila Ashram, Uttarakhand

Maharashtra

Seva Mandir, Rajasthan

Child in Need Institute, Jharkhand

Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses, New

Centre for Youth Development and Activities,

Delhi

Maharashtra

Sravanti Association for Rural and Tribal

Centre for Youth & Social Development, Odisha

Development,Andhra Pradesh

Society for Doorstep School, Maharashtra

Dr Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation, Uttar

Dalit Vikas Vindu, Bihar

Pradesh

Gram Niyojan Kendra, Uttar Pradesh

Shikshit Rojgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti,

Rajasthan

Grama Swarajya Samithi, Andhra Pradesh

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Maharashtra

Grameen Vikas Sansthan, Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Welfare for People Living with HIV/

Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust,

AIDS Society, Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Integrated Development Foundation, Bihar

Urmul Seemant Samiti, Rajasthan

Urmul Setu Sansthan, Rajasthan

India Foundation for The Arts, Karnataka

Vatsalya, Uttar Pradesh

JSI R & T India Foundation, New Delhi

Vikas Sahyog Pratisthan, Maharashtra

Lepra Society, Telangana

Village Social Transformation Foundation,

Mahita, Telangana

Maharashtra

Mamta Health Institute for Mother and Child, New

Women’s Organisation for Socio Cultural Awareness,

Delhi

Odisha

Modern Architects for Rural India, Andhra Pradesh

Youths Union for Voluntary Action, Jharkhand

Myrada Kaveri Pradeshika Samsthe, Karnataka

Mr P K Sahoo, Chairman, Centre for Youth and Social Development and also Plan India Partner talks about his association with Plan for the past 40 years.

from our donors

Institutional donors

We have been working together with Plan India to provide Emergency Relief in Hong Kong with the support of

the Disaster Relief Fund of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since 2017. One

of the main reasons for us to extend support to Plan India in their various causes is because of their ability

to develop a response plan in consultation with the affected community and local government. Besides, Plan

India has always shown strong commitment towards donor compliance amidst challenges and uncertain field

situations.

We supported Plan India by providing relief materials for affected families during Assam Floods 2017, Kerala

Floods 2018 and Odisha Cyclone Fani 2019 and their commitment to transparency and accountability, timely

reporting, adherence to strictly defined procurement process and distribution of relief materials to the affected

families fortified our trust in Plan India’s mission.

Plan International,

Hong Kong Office

Plan International Korea has been working with Plan International India on several projects by various Korean

corporate donors. Recently, we’re cooperating to implement “Dream Village” and “Village Development”

project of Hyundai Motor Group since 2018 in order to develop eight model villages in Tamil Nadu. As part

of the project, Plan India also hosts “Happy Move Programme” four times every year for around 80 student

volunteers each time from South Korea and the volunteers participate in the community development

activities. Happy Move volunteers are fully enjoying being a part of the programme while doing the

construction activities and interacting with the communities including the children. During such events, student

volunteers get chance to understand the development challenges and the measures to solve it. It also creates

a good cultural understanding and sharing of the experiences between India and Korea.

Plan International,

Korea Office

corporate donors

Metso is pleased to work together with Plan India to strengthen and

support teaching learning environment, improving teaching skills, gender

sensitisation and capability building among children groups. Our reason to

partner with Plan India is their constant endeavour to curate programmes

which directly empower the effected communities and their commitment to

deliver on the agreed timelines with quality.

Sanjay Sehgal

HR Head, METSO

We are happy and satisfied with our partnership with Plan India for the

Parivartan Model school project in the government schools of Haridwar,

Uttarakhand. We appreciate Plan India for their sincerity, dedication and

high professionalism. Their understanding of the empowerment-based

approach is their biggest strength which is crucial for the sustainability of

the project. I extend my best wishes to the entire team of Plan India to

continue doing good work and keep on educating and empowering the

underprivileged section of India.

Rupali Agarwal

CSR Head, RELAXO

individual donors

I decided to be a part of Plan India because they are most reliable and trusted

organisation we have in our country. During this period of my attachment with

this organisation, I have always felt proud on my decision of being a part of their

journey. Plan India has some very significant projects which can really make a

difference to the society and change the meaning of charity to humanity. I have,

and would like to, support the adoption project through which you can change

the life of a child and give him or her the choice and quality of life one deserves. I

would recommend Plan India to everyone in my network.

nasrin syed

New Delhi

I always wanted to support a girl child and while searching on social media I

came across Plan India.

The programme Meri Beti Meri Shakti - A Plan India initiative intrigued me. I

believe Plan India is doing a great work since long on grass root level to raise the

bar of society. I have and will always recommend Plan India to my friends.

pragati srivastava

New Delhi

Plan India is a great platform to help children who cannot afford education and

basic amenities of living. Education is key to growth of any children. I would like

to support all the projects as and when I get the opportunity in future. Right now, I

have been supporting the project on girl child and also children who cannot afford

nutrition and who are not physically fit. I got to know about plan from a call by one

of Plan India’s representative.

hemal mehta

Kolkata

The work that Plan India is doing in the rural areas in the field of education is

something that caught my attention. Education is important for all, but education

of a girl child is our responsibility. Empowering and educating girls today will lead

to a better India tomorrow. I got to know Plan from their website and will definitely

recommended them to my friends.

nupur bose

Bengaluru

Education is must for everyone, specially girls, and Plan India’s helping

millions of children made me contribute to the cause.It is also my social

responsibility to do so.

binay kumar kujur

Kolkata

Plan India’s work is focussed on a grass root level wherein people who are

in need actually see the benefits of the programme. I would like to continue

supporting Sponsor a Girl Child in the current capacity. This is because I feel

that education is a very crucial area for the country’s progress, and India

can never consider itself truly developed unless its women are empowered.

Women empowerment must start from the root, which is education. I have

recommended Plan India to my fellow colleagues. I regularly support to their

causes as much as I can.

glen palmer

Kolkata

I decided to contribute to Plan India as the cause of providing education to young

children who have aspirations to do something valuable with their lives but do

not have the means. This organisation enables just that by providing them the

financial support and overall guidance. I’m currently lending my support through

sponsorship to the Sponsor a Child Programme and I am keen on continuing my

support to this programme.

I recently visited the facility from Plan India organisation to meet the child whose

education I am sponsoring and was pleased to meet the young girl aged 11 years,

along with her mother. The girl child was very enthusiastic and said she wants

to become a police inspector once she grows up. It made me really happy that

I could contribute to her dream in this small way. I would be happy to share the

details of the programmes with my friends and family members. I got a call from

one of your colleagues and since then I am with Plan India and I thank from my

bottom of my heart for same.

pramod manchanda

New Delhi

plan in the news

To drive visibility of Plan’s work, build an understanding on child rights and

girl rights, and create advocates on the issue, Plan India reached about

1,000 media journalists across print, electronic and online media. Nearly 370

articles were published in leading publications reaching approximately 251

million readers.

To strengthen media understanding and creating allies for child rights and

gender issues in India, Plan India launched the first edition of its Media

Catalyst programme. Over 300 journalists from 6 states were reached out

for applications, and 10 shortlisted by an expert jury based on their previous

work and the interest in reporting on the issues related to child protection

and gender. The journalists were oriented through workshops and exposure

visits to gain insights into Plan India’s model of child-centric community

development and gender transformative approaches. The programme aimed

at building collaborations on rights-based reporting to ensure that the rights of

the children are not violated.

In a first, Plan India also initiated a special panel discussion curated around media and its role in ethical

reporting on gender to share diverse stories of girls’ power. The discussion was held at the third edition of

Plan for Every Child National Conference, an annual platform to spark a cohesive policy dialogue and for

knowledge sharing among eminent stakeholders. The NDTV-Telethon for Kerala flood relief marked another

key media milestone which garnered support for Plan India’s relief work.

NDTV’s interview with Mohammed Asif, Executive Director of Plan India,
about the relief efforts during Kerala floods and putting the funds raised
with support from NDTV to use.

363+

media Articles

Outreach to

1,000

journalists

Key Media

Partnerships

our board members

Mr. Govind Nihalani, Chair Emeritus

Mr. Govind Nihalani is an eminent film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and

film producer who has been awarded the Padmashree, a prestigious award conferred

by the Government of India, for his contributions to Indian cinema. In the last 35

years, he has received several national and international awards for his work.

Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha, Chairperson

Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha served in the Indian Administrative Service where as Secretary,

Union Ministry of Tourism, she initiated the Incredible India campaign. In her

assignment as Founder Director of the National Institute of Fashion Technology

(NIFT), the concept of Fashion Education was introduced in India. Ms. Jha has

also served as Secretary General of the World Travel and Tourism Council, India.

She is the Founder Chairperson of the Indian Heritage Cities Network, a UNESCO

NGO, the Chairperson of the India Foundation of Arts and the All India Artisans and

Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA) as well as a trustee of the Indira Gandhi

National Centre for Arts (IGNCA).

Mr. JVR Prasada Rao, Secretary

Mr. JVR Prasada Rao is a Former Health Secretary, Government of India and Director

General, National AIDS Control Organisation. He has made immense contributions

in strengthening the health sector and in formulating India’s response to HIV/AIDS.

He is a strong regional voice for prioritising public health in national policies in India

and other Asian countries. Mr. Rao was invited to join as the Regional Director of

UNAIDS where he led the UN response to AIDS in Asia Pacific countries. He has also

held eminent positions in the UN as Special Envoy to the Secretary General, United

Nations, and as the Regional Director of UNAIDS for the Asia Pacific region. He

facilitated discussions on inclusion of AIDS elimination as a Sustainable Development

Goal (SDG) for 2030 which was finally adopted in the UNGA declaration on SDGs in

2015. Mr. Rao is also a former Commissioner Secretary of a Global Commission on

HIV and Law initiated by UNDP.

Mr. Madhukar Kamath, Treasurer

A distinguished alumnus of Loyola Chennai and XLRI Jamshedpur, Madhukar Kamath

has over four decades of experience in advertising, media and marketing services.

Mr. Kamath has served as the President of Advertising Agencies Association of India

and is the recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also an erstwhile

Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India and President of MICA for

the academic year 2016-17. As the Chairman of the Mudra Foundation and the

Chairperson of the Governing Council of MICA, for over a decade, he helped build

MICA into India’s foremost Strategic Marketing and Communications Management

Institute. As an Entrepreneur, he is now the Chairman of Multiplier Brand Solutions.

He is also currently the Chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, serves on the

board of Music Broadcast Ltd., the Chairman Emeritus of the DDB Mudra Group and

Mentor of Interbrand India.

Ms. Minty Prabha Pande

Ms. Minty Prabha Pande has had a long career within the international development

sector, particularly in the field of child rights. She was the Country Director for Plan

International, leading, directing and accounting for all country operations in Nepal

(2001-2006) and in Thailand (2006-2009). She has also worked for the Save the

Children Fund (UK) as Head of Regional Office in Bangkok and as Programme

Director for North India and Sponsorship Officer in Save the Children’s New Delhi

office. Ms. Pande is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Goodweave India, an

affiliate of Goodweave International. She is credited with mentoring and supporting

several not-for-profits as a Board Member. She is also a Board member of the

Governing body of the Barefoot College and Social Work and Research Centre,

Tilonia, an agency founded and headed by Sanjit (Bunker) Roy.

Mr. Ranjan Chak

Mr. Ranjan Chak is an information technology veteran who helped start Hewlett

Packard (India), created one of India’s most successful offshore development centres

as VP (India Operations), Oracle Corporation, and has been a Visiting Fellow of

the Judge Business School of Cambridge University. He has served as a director

on the board of a number of technology companies, is currently a Venture Partner

with venture capital firm, Oak Investment Partners, and is on the Advisory Board of

Vencap, a UK-based investment firm.

Mr. Udayan Sen

Mr. Udayan Sen, a Chartered Accountant, was the Chief Executive Officer and

Managing Partner of Deloitte Haskins and Sells for 8 years till March 2015. He has

continued as a partner in the firm since then. He was also on the global board of

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Mr. Sen has over 35 years of experience in professional

services, primarily in assurance and financial advisory. He has worked with some

of the most distinguished names in Indian business and several major multinational

companies.

Prof. S. Parasuraman

Prof. S. Parasuraman was a former Director and Vice-Chancellor at Tata Institute of

Social Sciences, Mumbai and is currently the Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra Institute

of Technology, World Peace University, Pune. He has more than three decades of

experience as a teacher and researcher in rural development, education, health,

public policy, social protection and governance. He has held key positions in the

World Bank, International Union for Conversation of Nature, Oxfam, ActionAid

International and the UN including Asia Policy Director of Action Aid International,

Bangkok, Team Leader of the Secretariat, World Commission on Dams, Cape Town

and as Programme Director, Oxfam GB, India Programme. He has been a United

Nations Fellow on Population and Development, Institute of Social Studies (ISS),

The Hague. He also served as a visiting Fellow at the ISS, The Hague in 2003 and

Visiting Professor at the School of International Studies at Simon Fraser University,

Vancouver, Canada.

Mr. Atul Kirloskar

Mr. Atul Kirloskar is the Executive Chairman of Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. and

Chairman of Kirloskar Ferrous Ltd. He has a keen interest in operations and people.

Mr. Kirloskar channels his passion for excellence to help Plan India meet its objectives

efficiently and effectively.

Ms. Shireen Jejeebhoy

Ms. Shireen Jejeebhoy, PhD, is a demographer and social scientist with over 35

years of research and evaluation experience in the areas of young people’s health

and development, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence and sexual and

reproductive health. Over her career, she has made significant research contributions

on adolescent health and development, the empowerment of women and girls, and

women’s access to safe abortion. Ms. Jejeebhoy is the founder and director of Aksha

Centre for Equity and Wellbeing, a non-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing

the evidence and evaluating promising practices in her research areas. Her most

recent work includes an assessment of the situation of adolescents in Jharkhand,

the development of a theory of change for preventing child marriage in India, and an

in-depth investigation of community component of the RKSK programme in India. She

is the Vice President of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population,

and a member of the Governing Boards of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the

International Institute for Population Sciences and the Population Foundation of India.

Previously, she served as Senior Associate, Population Council, India and Scientist,

Reproductive Health and Research Department, World Health Organisation, Geneva.

Mr. Ajay Gandhi

Mr. Ajay Gandhi is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Wings Infonet Pvt. Ltd.,

developers of the Wings suite of business software products and the Founder Partner

of Gandhi and Gandhi, Chartered Accountants, Hyderabad. He is also the Founder

Trustee for Manthan Foundation, a forum for public discourse, and a Trustee for

Hyderabad Literary Trust, organisers of the Hyderabad Literary Festival. He has also

served as Chairman, Hyderabad Branch of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of

India and as Vice President of Andhra Pradesh Tax Bar Association.

our patron

Mr. Anil Kapoor has been a patron and a

I am committed to doing all I can

steadfast advocate for Plan India for over

to support Plan India’s mission to

a decade. During his years of patronage,

transform the lives of 10 million

Mr. Kapoor has tirelessly worked to focus

girls. The Girls Get Equal campaign

attention on girls’ rights and lent passionate

is a cause I wholeheartedly support

support to causes supporting vulnerable

in its effort to create a truly equal

and excluded children. He has played a

world. Having witnessed Plan’s work

pivotal role in garnering a groundswell

and met powerful young people in

of public support and engagement for

its programmes over the years, I

Plan India’s water, sanitation and hygiene

look forward to seeing these young

campaigns and our humanitarian response

people leading from the front and

during natural disasters. His determination

transforming not just their own lives,

and contributions are integral to the

but their families and communities.

success of our work.

Mr Anil Kapoor

Plan India Patron

and Goodwill Ambassador

Our Patron and Goodwill Ambassador Mr Anil Kapoor’s, 12-year journey with Plan India.