Health Education Protection Livelihood Participation Environment Development Empowerment
Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies, which respect people’s rights and dignities.
Our Mission Plan strives to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries, through a process that unites people across cultures and adds meaning and value to their lives by: • Enabling deprived children, their families, and their communities to meet their basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies • Building relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different cultures and countries • Promoting the rights and interests of the world’s children
Our Values • We are ethical, honest and transparent and place a high value on integrity • We respect child rights and human rights and we believe in everyone’s innate and inalienable dignity as human beings regardless of age, gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion, class, nationality, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation or disability • We will always act in the best interests of the child • We create the conditions in our work, in our activities and in our organisation for personal empowerment, especially of children and the most marginalised • We acknowledge that we cannot solve problems of poverty alone but only through teamwork and mutual partnerships • We are accountable to all of our stakeholders in communication, finances, performance measures and results, and strive for effectiveness, sustainability and efficiency in everything we do. We adhere to recognised international standards • We strive for continuous learning and improvement. We listen to new ideas and encourage entrepreneurial activities, innovation, creativity and change
Plan in India Plan India is an Indian NGO and part of Plan International, one of the world's largest community development organizations. Plan India is working to improve the lives of disadvantaged children, their families and communities through an approach which puts children at the centre of community development. For over 30 years, Plan and our partners have worked with communities throughout India to break the cycle of poverty by helping children access their rights to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. We encourage children to express their views and be actively involved in improving their communities. Plan India currently works in 13 states in India and has touched the lives of over a million Indian children. Going back to history, Plan International was formed 70 years back by British journalist John Langdon Davies and a refugee worker, Eric Muggeridge , to help children whose lives had been adversely affected by the Spanish Civil War. Today, Plan is operational in 69 countries implement its commitment to children. Plan is a Child Centered Community Development (CCCD) organization working with children, their families, communities, organizations and governments to promote child rights to end child poverty. Plan is independent, with no religious, political or governmental affiliations.
Area of Operation
Since 1979, Plan India has reached out to over a million children from 5400 communities across 13 states in India
Our Goals Our One Goal is to reach as many children as possible - particularly those who are excluded or marginalised - with high - quality programmes that deliver long-lasting benefits. On 20th November 1989, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a landmark for human rights. For the first time, the world witnessed a treaty that sought to address the human rights of children and set minimum standards for the protection of these rights. The Government of India ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on 12th November 1992, expressing its commitment to the children of India. The Convention provides a frame-work for Plan’s work around the world. In India, this can be seen in our seven goals.
Right to Protection from Abuse and Exploitation
Right to Early Childhood Development and Quality Education
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1 • Improve knowledge, attitude and practice among children and parents on child abuse, female foeticide, child marriages and gender-based violence.
• To improve early childhood care and development of children between 0-6 years at home and in centres by strengthening the capacities of the government and communities.
• Improve child protection legislation and policies.
• To facilitate all girls and boys to complete 10 years of quality education in schools by improving access to formal education and increase their transition into higher education by enhancing the classroom transactions.
• Promote community-based child protection and its effective integration into the state/national child protection system.
Right to Adequate standards of Living
5 • To increase children and young people’s access to food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life. • To promote access to formal financial services (savings, credits, insurance, and remittance) especially for women. • To prepare young men and women to get decent and formal employment or self-employment through market oriented vocational, business and life skills training.
Right to Optimal Health
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Right to Children’s Participation as Active Citizens
4 • To improve maternal health by enabling women to access knowledge and quality health services.
• Building capacity of children and youth, particularly girls and women, to organize and express themselves as active citizens.
• To improve nutritional status of malnourished children and promote child health by promoting community response.
• Providing space for children to monitor the implementation of child rights programming by government and NGOs and recommendations of the UN Committee on CRC.
• To increase access to information and capacity building to exhibit responsive health seeking behaviour and system strengthen mechanism for sexual and reproductive health.
• Create an enabling environment for children’s participation at all levels through aptitude and attitudinal change in duty bearers.
• To increase access for children and their families affected by HIV to care and protection from stigma and discrimination.
Right to Drinking Water and Clean Environment
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Right to Life with Dignity during Emergencies
7 • All families have improved hygienic practices including disposal of human and other waste. • To enable children and communities to access safe drinking water supply by making them aware about government schemes, policies and provisions. • To facilitate the availability of water and sanitation facilities in preschool, primary and secondary school for all girls and boys.
• Strengthen capacities of communities to reduce risks and be prepared for disasters and minimize impacts on children. • Build the capacity of staff and partners on Disaster Risk Reduction and enhancing response mechanisms to make programming more disaster risk sensitive. • Prepare communities and children to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Our Work Plan India believes in Child Centred Community Development (CCCD) – an approach that advocates the basic rights of children to a better life. This rights-based approach enables children, families and communities to become active and leading participants in their own development. It enhances their capacity and opportunity to work together with others in order to bring long-term sustainable positive change to their lives.
Plan's Child Centered Community Development Approach
Child-Centred All of Plan’s work has its foundations in the fundamental rights of children, as expressed and internationally agreed upon, at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our child-centred approach aims to support children to realize these rights in various ways. •
Promoting awareness and understanding of children’s rights
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Encouraging and enabling children to participate in their own development
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Listening to what children feel about obstacles in the way of their rights and creating programs and projects that further child rights
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Facilitating children’s participation in policy discussions at local, national and international levels, alongside community members, partners and Plan staff
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Acknowledging that children’s rights are inextricably linked to the achievement of fundamental human rights
Community Development We work with communities to build upon the skills and knowledge they have, or need to become active participants rather than passive recipients in the development process. •
Promoting community leadership and management of projects and programs
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Enabling community members to determine their development process and strategic plans
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Building the capacity and skills of community leaders
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Linking community organizations to local government and other organizations that provide quality services
Ensuring that the marginalized members of the community (the poorest amongst the poor and women) are not excluded.
“School authorities denied admission to my sister as she did not have birth certificate. I visited the school and told them that they cannot do it. They asked for my introduction. I told them that I am reporter of children magazine. They agreed to give admission. I went to SDM office for my sister’s and my own birth certificate and now we both have the document.” - Punit, Member of Media Club, Delhi
“Working with children is always a new experience. You constantly discover new facets about yourself and children. If fact, you learn to look at the world through children’ eyes and that lets you relive your lost innocence once again.” - Govind Nihalani, Chair, Plan India Governing Board
“As I got Involved with Plan, I realized how genuine their effort are. I am very happy that my association with Plan India has given me a platform to do something meaningful for the betterment of millions of children in India. I believe that development is a long term commitment & change can only take Place if ‘children are development actors’ that means they participate and voice their opinions and are not just passive recipients of aid.” - Anil Kapoor, Noted Film Actor & Patron Plan India
“I participated in Financial literacy training and started working as a trainer of Financial Literacy for SHGs. Then I formed my SHG cluster and I was voted to become a cluster leader and later as Federation leader – Sakhi Sangam and President of Federation. Now I am earning Rs. 12,000 per month, and helping my family to pay off the debt and I am contributing to my family. I am thankful to Plan India for all the support and motivation.” - Meera, President, Sakhi Sangam Society for Social Change
Names and locations of children have been changed in this publication as per Plan India’s Child Protection Policy.
Plan India E12, Kailash Colony, New Delhi - 110 048 Tel: 91-11-46558484, Fax 91-11-46558443 Email: planindia@planindia.org www.planindia.org Follow us on