Because I am a Girl

Because I am a Girl was just the beginning. Now, girls are at the center of all our work.

Initiated by Plan International and supported by people like you, Because I am a Girl was a global campaign that made it possible for girls to learn, lead, decide and thrive. The campaign ran from 2012 to 2018 and reached over 4 million girls around the world.

If there’s one thing that became clear through this campaign, it’s this: When the world rises up against injustices for girls, we are all changed for the better.

Browse our campaign timeline below and see why girls are at the heart of all we do at Plan.

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2004

The campaign gets its name

Because I Am A Girl Activists

In 2004, former Plan International Germany Director Marianne Raven was in Nepal discussing the challenges faced by a rural community.

She met a girl named Sharmila who didn’t have enough clothes on to keep her warm.

When Marianne asked her mother why she wasn’t being cared for, the mother replied, “Because she is a girl.”

And the campaign was born.

2007

Tracking the State of the World’s Girls

Girl Walking To School

Between 2007 and 2015, Plan released a series of annual reports focusing on girls and young women in the world.

The State of the World’s Girls reports brought together thought leaders, activists and policy makers to provide a wealth of data on the major issues facing marginalized girls around the world.

The reports highlighted the double jeopardy that girls face for being young and female, and the concerted effort needed for real progress.

2011

Creating International Day of the Girl

Plan International Day of the Girl Celebration

While there has long been an International Women’s Day and an International Day of the Child, neither recognize the unique position of girls who are discriminated against simply for being young and female.

So, Plan campaigned alongside girls for an international day that celebrates their unique power and highlights the injustices they face.

With support from the Canadian government, we took our call to the U.N., which adopted October 11 as International Day of the Girl in 2011.

International Day of the Girl is now celebrated globally with girls, their allies, governments, charities, corporations and the media.

2012

Because I am a Girl launches

The Because I am a Girl campaign launched on the first International Day of the Girl in 2012. The targets of the campaign were to:

  • Directly impact 4 million girls through programs.
  • Indirectly reach 40 million children through programs.
  • Affect 400 million children through policy changes.
  • Raise $550 million for girls and children.

In 2012, Plan also released an award-winning stop-motion video that explains the importance of education. 

 

2013

U.N. taken over by youth

Malala Yousafzai Speaking At Conference

In July of 2013, Plan International supported 15 youth activists to join the first-ever youth takeover of the U.N. They were part of a delegation of more than 600 young people led by Malala Yousafzai.

At the event, Malala made her famous speech calling for the urgent prioritization of education around the world. “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution,” she said.

2013

World premiere of “Girl Rising”

“Girl Rising,” a feature film from Academy Award nominated director Richard E. Robbins, premiered in March 2013 and was previewed at the Sundance Film Festival. A portion of ticket sales supported girls’ programs around the world, including Because I am a Girl programming. 

The movie spotlights the stories of nine unforgettable girls born into unforgiving circumstances. Narrated by Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chloë Grace Moretz, Liam Neeson, Freida Pinto, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington, the movie is the centerpiece of 10×10 — a global campaign to educate and empower girls.

2014

Keeping girls in school

As part of Because I am a Girl, Plan programs rolled out across the world to tear down the barriers preventing girls from receiving an education. These barriers include child marriage, violence against girls and community perceptions about what girls can and can’t achieve.

Because of your support, a number of programs were so successful that they are still expanding and changing girls’ lives today, such as our Safer Cities and Champions of Change programs. 

2014

Raise Your Hand

Children Raise Your Hand

In 2012, Plan launched the Raise Your Hand petition, pressuring the U.N. to prioritize girls’ education in the Global Goals.

As a result, over 2.3 million people, globally, raised their hands for girls’ education. In 2014, the petition was handed over to the U.N.

Among those who supported the petition were youth campaigner Malala Yousafzai, actress Freida Pinto and U.N. Special Envoy for Education Gordon Brown.

2015

Campaign smashes targets

Just two years into the campaign, Because I am a Girl had already become a powerful force for change. In that period, it had:

  • Directly impacted the lives of over 3 million girls, over 75% of the initial target.
  • Raised over $480 million, over 87% of the initial target.
  • Contributed to changing laws and policies affecting girls and young women in 17 countries.

2015

Influencing the international development agenda

Plan’s work to influence the Global Goals began in 2011. When the goals were signed, we supported 15 girls to go to the U.N. and call on leaders to honor their promise to ensure quality education for all children.

The Global Goals, which include a target of achieving gender equality by 2030, now frame all of Plan’s work. We continue to influence governments, along with our partners, to localize the Global Goals and advocate for girls’ rights.

2016

Plan forms Equal Measures 2030 with partners

Equal Measures 2030 is a first-of-its-kind data index that tracks countries’ progress toward gender equality and commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals. Plan is one of the founding and core partners of Equal Measures 2030, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.

2017

Influencing laws to end child marriage

When a girl becomes a child bride, everything changes. She’s often expected to drop out of school so that she can start taking care of her husband’s home and bear children. But without an education, her options are limited — she might never learn to read or write, or gain any of the skills she’d need to be independent.

So, throughout the Because I am a Girl campaign, Plan worked to end child marriage.

As a result of our influencing work with partners, the first ever resolutions on child marriage were adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in 2013.

Our work eventually helped raise the legal age of marriage for girls to 18 in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

2017

Landmarks turn pink for girls

Cities Light Up Pink For Girls

Every year on International Day of the Girl, famous buildings and landmarks lit up in pink to raise public awareness of the importance of girls’ education.

Among the sights that were turned pink over the years include the Empire State Building, the London Eye, Niagara Falls, Pyramids in Egypt and Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium.

2018

World leaders commit to fund education

In February 2018, donor governments pledged to fund $2.3 billion for education in low-income countries over the next two years. This was an increase from the $1.3 billion pledged for the previous three years. In addition, low-income countries increased their collective budget for education from $80 billion to $110 billion.

The increased funding will help millions of girls to go to school and transform their futures.

2019

Girls become the center of all our work

Girls are now at the center of all Plan’s work. We believe girls will drive change to make our world a better place. If we can reach and uplift every girl, we can achieve equality. And we’ll all be stronger because of it.

But we can’t do this work alone. Gender equality is a fight we must take on together. Are you with us?

Give to Plan

Your contribution is tax deductible.

Your gift to Plan International USA will be used where needed most, to help create sustainable change and address the root causes of poverty and inequality. Donations can support programs, innovation, and infrastructure required to deliver our programs to girls and children worldwide, in areas such as protection, education, health, sanitation, disaster relief and economic empowerment.