Our work with girls

Girls are leading change. Girls know what their lives need. Our role is to listen, support and work alongside them to remove the barriers standing in their way. Across every program and partnership, girls are not just participants in our work. They help shape it.

Why girls?

Girls face some of the most persistent and intersecting barriers to equality. From being pushed out of school to facing violence, early marriage or limited economic opportunity, their rights are too often denied simply because of who they are.

When girls have the support they need to learn, lead and make decisions about their own lives, the impact reaches far beyond the individual. Families are stronger. Communities are healthier. Systems begin to change.

That’s why girls are at the center of everything we do.

Our GirlEngage approach

GirlEngage is our approach to working with girls as partners and leaders. Girls help design, lead and evaluate programs that affect their lives, ensuring solutions reflect their real experiences and priorities.

What GirlEngage looks like in practice

Through GirlEngage, girls are involved at every stage of our work. They identify challenges, shape solutions and measure success. We work within the full ecosystem around girls, including families, schools, communities and institutions, to shift power and create lasting change.

This approach recognizes the whole girl. Her identity, experiences and aspirations matter. And the best experts on what girls need are girls themselves.

Beyond program

Our work with girls goes beyond individual projects. We advocate for policy change, support youth-led movements and mobilize global moments like International Day of the Girl to shift attitudes and systems that hold girls back.

We believe progress happens when girls are trusted as leaders and decision-makers, not just for one moment, but for the long-term.

Our focus

Economic empowerment

Education & early childhood development

Health, nutrition & water, sanitation & hygiene

Humanitarian assistance

Protection

Sexual & reproductive health & rights

Girls leading change

image for Menstrual Health Day on May 28

YOU can help end the stigma. PERIOD.

May 07, 2026

Period stigma holds girls back. But together, we can change the narrative — and ensure every girl can manage her period with dignity and pride.

“I learned I could say no.” How education changed Fernanda’s future

May 01, 2026

Fernanda, 17, from Lima, Peru, is working toward her dream of becoming a doctor. Through workshops, she gained the knowledge and confidence to make decisions

She thought solar panels were a man’s job. Then she installed one.

Apr 21, 2026

“I thought, ‘How can a woman do a man’s job?’” Melany says. “Even more so with solar panels. But I decided to motivate myself and

Education systems that work for girls: Lessons from Tanzania

Mar 30, 2026

A girl leads a community dialogue session in Tanzania, speaking to peers and community members on gender equality and girls’ education. | Lilian Mmbaga, ©

Jessica’s journey: From sponsored child to community leader

Mar 24, 2026

Jessica grew up in Plan International’s sponsorship program in Peru. Today, she is a community leader, volunteer and soon-to-be district president — showing how investing in girls creates lasting change.

What 18 years of listening to girls taught us about progress

Mar 13, 2026

“My hopes for tomorrow are to continue my studies, to have diplomas, to have a job and a better future.” — Catherine, age 16

Foster parents Yuri and Nadia sit on a couch surrounded by their nine foster children of varying ages in their home in rural Ukraine.

Ukraine’s lost children find a loving home

Mar 13, 2026

Yuri, 54, and Nadia, 49, with their foster children. | © Plan International / Mirja Vogel In a small, rural village 50km outside the central

A teacher serves primary school children in Kilifi County, Kenya, as they queue to receive a meal of rice, lentils and dried vegetables through Plan International's school feeding program.

School meals bring children back to the classroom in drought hit Kilifi

Mar 11, 2026

Girls share a meal of rice, lentils and dried vegetables at school in Kilifi County, Kenya. For many, it is the only meal they will

International Women’s Day: Why women’s leadership begins with girls

Mar 05, 2026

Aprille survived a super typhoon at 13. Today she is a teacher and climate advocate helping her community prepare for the next storm. Her story shows why girls’ education is the foundation of women’s leadership — and why International Women’s Day begins with girls.

10 questions people ask about International Women’s Day — and why girls’ education is the answer