Maternal and Child Health

We prevent gender-based violence by opposing the patriarchal systems that seek to control the lives of girls and young women and recognizing that girls have the right to bodily autonomy. Programming allows girls to speak up about the issues they face and advocate for change, and encourage boys and men to end discrimination and violence. We also work with local governments to enforce laws that keep girls protected and hold perpetrators accountable.

We work to improve knowledge, skills, competencies and capabilities related to disease prevention through a range of interventions. We address primary health care and increase access to health care services; projects are often cross-sectoral to help girls and children stay healthy, so that they can live their lives and reach their full potential.

Plan helps to ensure that girls, boys, women and men have equal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, in the community and the home. In particular, we ensure that girls have access to sanitation at school, so that they can safely and comfortably manage their periods — without sacrificing their education. We work with communities to implement the use of low-cost technologies for point-of-use water treatment. We also actively promote the proper use and handling of water, using behavior change approaches and educational campaigns. Our work is with both urban and rural communities to overcome context-specific barriers to safe water and hygiene.