Global Child Winter 2013

Global Child THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA | WINTER 2013

A fond farewell

We celebrate leaving a sponsorship community in Pakistan

Sister Act

How three sisters cycled for girls

Let it bee

A child sponsorship project creates a buzz in Ethiopia

The Plan story Founded over 75 years ago, Plan is one of the oldest and largest children's development organisations in the world with no political or religious agendas. We work at the grassroots to empower communities to overcome poverty so that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. We encourage children to be actively involved in improving their communities. We unite, empower and inspire people around the globe to champion every child’s right to survive, develop to the fullest, be protected from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation and participate fully in family, cultural and social life. Together with our supporters we can transform the world for children.

Transform the world for children.

Front cover: Children attend the opening of a new Plan-supported child friendly centre in Pakistan.

This page: A girl in Uganda raises her hand to support Plan's 'Because I am a Girl' campaign. So far more than 600,000 people have raised their hands around the world. See page 10 for more information.

By Ian Wishart Chief Executive, Plan International Australia

Courage, Politics and Overseas Aid On the 12th of July Malala Yousafzai turned 16. In her first public address since being shot less than a year ago

by Taliban forces in Pakistan, Malala used the occasion to address the United Nations Youth Assembly and deliver a set of education demands written by youth, for youth, to United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon.

At Plan we know the importance of education to lift children, and the communities where they live, out of poverty. Increasing access to education is one of our eight focus areas. For girls, in particular, we know that: »» less than 50% of girls complete primary school in poor countries

»» an extra year of secondary school can increase a girl’s income by up to 25% »» girls with no education are three times more likely to marry before 18 »» the global economic cost of failing to educate girls to the same standard as boys is a staggering $92 billion each year.

For each of these reasons, and in order to honour Malala’s courage, I have been meeting with Ministers and Shadow Ministers throughout the year, reminding them of the power of overseas aid to transform the world for children, and especially girls.

It is of concern that both major parties are pushing back the agreed timelines to reach 0.5% of Gross National Income (just 50 cents in every $100) in overseas aid by 2015. Every year that we fail to meet this target means children around the world are denied their rights to education, to

clean water, to food, to healthcare and to protection from harm. We know from the generosity of our supporters that the Australian people support overseas aid and that our community cares deeply for the world’s poorest children. You can read more about this in our story ‘The politics of overseas aid’ (page 20).

In the forthcoming election I encourage you to get active to keep overseas aid and development on the political agenda and to hold the parties to account for their promises.

If you donated this financial year, your tax receipt is enclosed. Thank you for your continuing support – our political leaders could well learn from your generosity – I hope that you enjoy this edition of Global Child.

Contents Community news

The voice of youth

4 Events and updates

16 I am what I am because of who we all are

Plan in action 8 L et it bee: a child sponsorship project creates a buzz in Ethiopia 10 Malala day: reflecting and looking forward 12 A fond farewell: we celebrate leaving a sponsorship community 14 One fine day: a closer look at some International Days

WINTER 2013

Global learning

Global Child Winter 2013, Vol.35. Global Child is the magazine of Plan International Australia and is published biannually. Editorial enquiries: editor@plan.org.au Plan International Australia Address: 18/60 City Road, Southbank, Melbourne VIC 3006.

Phone: 13 75 26 Fax: 03 9670 1130 Email: info@plan.org.au Web: www.plan.org.au To support Plan visit www.plan.org.au. Donations to Plan of $2 or more are tax deductible.

18 The politics of overseas aid

Supporters in focus 20 Five minutes with …

The fundraiser and the volunteer 22 Sister Act: meet three sisters who cycled for girls

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Plan. © 2013. All material in Global Child is under copyright; however, articles and photographs may be reproduced with permission from Plan. Plan is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct and is a trusted recipient of funding from AusAID – the Australian Government Agency for International Development. Plan International Australia is governed by a Board of Directors comprising: Gerry Hueston (Chair), Julie Hamblin (Deputy Chair), Brian Babington, Michael Corry, Claire Hatton, Julie Hood, Philippa Quinn, Neil Thompson, Anne Trimmer.

THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 3

“This is a tremendous achievement to be recognised for having produced the not-for-profit sector’s most transparent and highest quality annual report.

Community

News

At Plan it is our aspiration to be a champion for child rights.

We believe it is an unacceptable injustice that hundreds of millions of children don’t have their basic rights to care, to quality education, to be protected and to be heard. Rights many of us take for granted.”

Ian Wishart, Plan in Australia’s Chief Executive, upon receiving the 2012 PwC Transparency Award for honest and transparent reporting by nonprofit organisations.

Does aid work?

Australians overwhelmingly support Australia’s overseas aid program, but most of us don’t really know what aid actually does. But not for long.

Thanks to goodaidworks.com.au – a new website sharing success stories from communities around the world – everyone is seeing the huge impact that aid can have.

goodaidworks.com.au is funded by AusAID and supported by Australian international non-government organisations including Plan.

AROUND THE WORLD A quick round-up of stories that have caught our attention since the last edition of Global Child.

1 January 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, in which Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order to abolish slavery.

Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States of America.

Ecuador’s President Rafael Corella was elected for a third time.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis I, after the resignation of Pope Bennedict XVI in February.

January 28 marked 200 years since Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published.

On 19 March, 15-year-old Pakistani student and education activist, Malala, returned to the classroom for the first time since being shot by the Taliban six months earlier.

Nigeria defeated Burkina Faso to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died, aged 87, after a stroke on 8 April.

News broke that Britain is funding scores of civilian rebels to oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in aid deliveries inside occupied areas of Syria.

Three people were killed and 73 injured in an apparent terrorist bombing during the Boston Marathon.

Car bombs and blasts in cities across Iraq killed 50 people and injured 300.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Iran’s south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan near the border with Pakistan. Up to 34 people died and 80 were injured as a result.

hello blog world!

Thanks Manu!

A big shout out to Manu Feildel for taking the time out of his busy schedule to be the star of Plan’s new child sponsorship TV ad.

Manu visited Plan’s projects in Niger and Cameroon last year and was so inspired by what he saw that he decided to sponsor a boy and a girl.

Manu says “My family and I have now received our first letters from our sponsor children, and it gives me so much satisfaction to know that I am continuing to help even though I am back here living my life”.

To find out more about sponsoring a child, or to see the ad visit plan.org.au/sponsor You can also sponsor a child by filling out the Child Sponsorship insert in this magazine.

That’s right – here at Plan in Australia we have started blogging.

Why you ask? Well, for two reasons. First: to share stories that you rarely get to hear – personal travel tales from our program managers, opinion and analysis of current issues, and profiles and interviews with people who are closest to where your donations are making an impact.

Second and most important: for you, our supporters. The blog isn’t just a place to find out more about Plan, it’s also a place where you can tell us what you think and engage in conversations with like-minded supporters.

So you’re hereby invited to join the conversation at plan.org.au/blog. As a Plan supporter the stories there are your stories too. We’d love to hear what you think!

PLAN LAUNCHES

FOOD FOR LIFE

INVESTMENT FUND Did you know that six million children under five in developing countries die from malnutrition and hungerrelated diseases each year?

Plan has launched a fund to support vulnerable families in Africa and Asia to achieve long-term food security.

Thanks to a generous $1 million donation from longstanding Plan supporter Mrs Anne Kantor, the fund is off to a good start.

The Food for Life Investment Fund aims to raise $10 million over five years. Interest from the fund will allow Plan to both respond to life-threatening food shortages and work with affected communities to address some of the underlying issues which cause hunger. Securing access to food and nutrition helps children access other rights such as education and health.

The fund is managed by financial advisors, UBS, under the direction of Plan’s Finance and Audit Board Committee.

For further information please contact Plan’s Donor Relations Manager, Sani Dowa, on (03) 9672 3657 or sani.dowa@plan. org.au

SLAM POETRY

By Lucy Treverton

They don’t have the money, they don’t have the time, Kids need education, is that such a crime?

Think about what I’m asking; ask yourself ‘am I helping?’

If there’s no education there will be no happy ending.

We can help, we can save, and we can make a difference.

Sponsoring a child is all they need but we can do more!

We can give them books, pencils, more space.

They need education so they can learn and make a difference.

But especially kids need education, So that poverty will end!

Lucy, 12, is the granddaughter of one of our volunteers, Carolyn. We interviewed Carolyn about volunteering, which you can read on page 21.

Plan CEO, Ian Wishart, thanks Anne Kantor for her generous donation.

Community

News

SAY

WHAT? We love hearing from Plan supporters on our social media channels – here are a few stories that recently caught our attention.

FACEBOOK

DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR 11 July World Population Day 9 August International Day of the World's Indigenous People 12 August International Youth Day 19 August World Humanitarian Day 11 October International Day of the Girl Child 13 October International Day for Disaster Reduction 20 Nov

My mum Jackie is currently on a visit to my sponsored child, her family and her village outside Siem Reap in Cambodia. Very excited to hear all about it. Being 9 months pregnant meant I couldn’t join her sadly. Be interesting to hear all the good work Plan is doing. (Becky Downie) I met one of your workers today at Armadale shops by the name of Nicholas and he was such a lovely person. He did magic tricks for my son and the way he spoke about this cause showed so much he truly believed in it. Was nice to have someone so caring speak about it and his experiences. So thanks no nickers Nick! (Kayla Murphy)

TWITTER “My hope on International Women’s Day” reminds us just what it’s all about #IWD2013 #women @PlanAustralia bit.ly/10dH5ka” (@BecNinness) I just helped provide Family Business Kits to families in Cambodia by donating to @PlanAustralia. Join me! plan.org.au/Donations.aspx (@KazzaKaye)

ia feature am documentary a girl

Plan International Australia is proud to support the release of I AM A GIRL, an independent feature-length documentary exploring what it means to grow up female in the 21st century.

Australian filmmaker Rebecca Barry has captured the personal stories of girls from countries as diverse as Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, Afghanistan, the USA and Australia in this inspirational and heart-warming coming-of-age film.

Universal Children’s Day 25 Nov

WHEN AND WHERE?

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

SYDNEY/

1 Dec

The Chauvel, Paddington Saturday 31 August – Sunday 1 September

World AIDS Day

MELBOURNE/

10 Dec

The Nova, Carlton Saturday 7 September – Sunday 8 September

Human Rights Day

For more information and to buy tickets visit iamagirl.com.au

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT AID AND DEVELOPMENT BUT DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START? Well, start here. Plan is developing a free online resource for you and your family to learn more about aid and development. With beginner and advanced levels the resource includes topics like, ‘what is poverty?’ and ‘does aid and development work?’

The aim of this resource is to provide an engaging and easy way to learn more about the important issues that surround Plan’s work. Each module will give you access to video presentations from Australian aid and development workers talking about the successes and challenges of their work, in addition to activities and further reading.

THE FACE

OF LOVE THIS FATHERS’ DAY Show your Dad how much you love him this Fathers’ Day and buy him a pig from Plan’s Gifts of Hope range!

Gifts of Hope are items needed by the communities we work with around the world. Providing pigs is just one of the ways we help poor families become more resilient – if crops are wiped out by flood or drought they still have an income from their livestock.

Visit plan.org.au/planshop to buy Dad a special gift.

WHAT’S YOUR

STORY? We ask our policy and corporate intern, Nur Abrotonite, to tell us about:

Her name I have the unusual combination of an Arabic first name and northern Italian surname. Nur means 'light' in Arabic and Abrotonite is a northern Italian name. It’s all about equality in my family so I got a name to represent each parent, even though my Italian father chose my Arabic name!

Her childhood I was born in Lebanon but spent the first few years of my life living between there and Italy because of the civil war in Lebanon. I arrived in Australia at 12pm Christmas Eve in 1997 and have lived here since. I turned 10 a few weeks after

When you complete all the modules, we will send you a certificate of recognition!

Stay tuned to facebook.com/planaustralia for more info.

This project is possible thanks to support from AusAID.

WE WON!

In early April, Plan in Australia was honoured to win the 2012 PwC Transparency Award, for honest and transparent reporting by non-profit organisations.

In accepting the award, our Chief Executive Ian Wishart dedicated the win to all our supporters who are integral to our operations, both here in Australia and with the communities we work with around the world.

As an international non-profit aid organisation, trust and confidence are our most valuable assets. The PwC Transparency Awards provide a wonderful platform for non-profit organisations to engage in consistent, comprehensive reporting, and we are very proud to be a part of that.

To view our Annual Report visit plan.org.au/About-Us/Accountability

Christmas 1997 so I’ve spent all my teenage years and adult life in Australia.

Uni I completed my Honours in Anthropology; probably as a result of my upbringing and birth heritage. I am deeply fascinated by other cultures and religions, particularly how people interact with each other and how they develop a sense of their personal identity based on their interactions with others (that pretty much sums up my Honours thesis!)

Interning I love it! I am completing my postgraduate studies in policy and social research. My internship means that I can translate theory into practice and experience what it would be like to work in the development sector. A bonus is supervisors, who are mentors, and give me helpful advice about my work and career.

Her passion In my lifetime I would like to positively contribute to global society.

I would like to see a world where the gap between the rich and the poor is not so drastic, where children don’t die of hunger or preventable illnesses and where peace talks achieve results. My long-term goal is that one day I can work in an area that will allow me to improve our world.

Yeah, she’s pretty awesome – all of our interns are! If you, or someone you know is interested in interning with Plan, visit plan.org.au/internship

PLAN in ACTION

Siriphato Otiso, a beekeeper in Ethiopia, fires up smoke leaves to calm his bees before they enter their hives.

LET IT BEE Beekeeping creates a buzz for Ethiopian honey farmers

M

any hours north of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, the route climbs into a harsh, mountainous landscape where ancient rock-hewn churches appear from nowhere.

This area, known as Lallibela, is where you will find some of Ethiopia’s best honey producers, whose high-altitude bees whip up a prized white honey that can be made only from flowers blossoming on the region’s most vertiginous peaks. The bees and their keepers are part of an ancient honey-making tradition that has been happening here since medieval times.

Beekeeping is an important economic activity in Ethiopia and the industry employs millions of people. Ethiopia is Africa’s largest

producer of honey, the fourth largest producer of beeswax, and the tenth largest honey producer in the world.

Black, red and white honey, thicker and sweeter than the yellow variety, is sold to local people in Lallibela and to tej bet – coffee bars serving traditional Ethiopian honey wine known as tej. The rest is sold to honey merchants who take it to Addis Ababa and other cities.

For generations traditional beekeeping practices have remained the same with 99% of bees kept in traditional hives. The outdated methods mean the yield and quality of the honey is low and relatively little is exported due to lack of means and accessibility.

But things are starting to change.

Beekeepers in Lallibela believe that more income can be generated from the honey if organic certification is achieved, and they're aiming to do this through a Plan-supported project called the Honey Value Chain.

This project is aiming to expand local honey production through promoting better farming methods and introducing modern bee management systems.

The history of bees and honey in Ethiopia

One element of the project focuses on farmer training. Selected farmers are invited to attend an eight-day training course to learn about modern bee keeping methods and develop new skills.

Then they are encouraged to use their new skills to train another nine farmers in their community. Since the project began in 2011, 297 beekeepers have received training, resulting in a total of 2,700 beekeepers who have now been trained.

»» King Lallibela, who ruled Ethiopia in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, was given his name — which in Agew means ‘the bees acknowledge his supremacy’ — due to a swarm of bees said to have surrounded him at his birth. His mother took it as a sign of his future reign as Emperor of Ethiopia, and the holy town was consequently named after him.

Ato Trit Sefiw, 32, started beekeeping in 2008 with a single, traditionally hived colony. However after receiving the Plansupported training he and his wife, Emebet Kassaye, are working together to transfer colonies, harvest honey, rear queen bees and multiply colonies. He is now a lead bee keeper in his village and has six colonies – which can be sold at the local market.

“I would like to present my heartfelt gratitude for the training I received. Beyond supporting my own life, I have extended the knowledge and skill that the project has provided me with to support other farmers in my neighbourhood to multiply their colonies and properly manage their apiaries,” he said.

Increased incomes mean that the farmers can better provide for their children in terms of clothing, shelter and school supplies and can also now use honey at home for their families nutrition needs.

This is a ripple effect that Plan Ethiopia's Food and Nutrition Security Advisor, Jada Habtamu, is proud to see.

»» Considered to be Ethiopia’s ‘liquid gold’, honey may have been carried by the Queen of Sheba when she travelled north on her historic journey to visit King Solomon. »» Honey is also used in Ethiopian hospitals to cure ailments and help mend wounds.

“Since beekeeping is widely practised in rural communities, the future is bright and we hope to continue to witness impact on livelihoods of poor and disadvantaged families engaged in the production of honey and honey products,” he says.

Finally, farmers are also learning how to combine beekeeping with other sustainable farming activities. Bees can exploit the flowers to produce honey before the farm animals eat the hay crop, and they can collect pollen from the blossom of cereal, oil and pulse crops before they are harvested.

It is, the beekeepers believe, a match made in heaven.

GET INVOLVED The Honey Value Chain project is only possible thanks to donations received through Child Sponsorship.

When you sponsor a child, you support projects just like this, that benefit your sponsored child, because their whole community is developing. To find out more about sponsoring a child visit plan.org.au/sponsor.

WINTER 2013

THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 9

PLAN in ACTION

Malala Day Adam Vink, Plan’s Campaign Manager reflects on the inaugural Malala Day and why we should all raise our hands for girls’ education.

"All I want is education. And I’m afraid of no one.”

On 9 October 2012, the world reacted with horror to the news that a brave and inspiring young Pakistani girl, targeted by religious extremists for daring to demand the right for all girls in Pakistan to an education, was shot in front of her friends while travelling in a bus on her way to school.

Against all odds, Malala Yousafzai survived, after receiving extensive medical treatment in far-away Birmingham, UK. Unfortunately for her would-be assassins – convinced that a girl’s place is anywhere but the classroom – Malala’s story as an inspiring advocate on behalf of her peers, the victim of the cruelest act of violence, came to symbolise a growing global movement for girls’ rights.

July 12 this year marked Malala’s 16th birthday and her first public engagement since her attack. She played a leading role in a youth takeover of the United Nations building in New York, chairing the world’s first ‘youth session’ of the General Assembly.

July 12 is now Malala Day. Malala’s story reminds us all that securing the rights of girls around the world, in particular the right to a quality education, is among the most important moral issues of this decade. Her example also provides further proof that educating girls is one of the best solutions to ending poverty and creating a more just and equal world for all.

Every day, young girls are missing from education, isolated from their friends, forced into marriage and subjected to violence.

Many more are not receiving the quality education they deserve – the classroom being yet another environment where they may experience discrimination, just for being young and female.

Not only is this unjust, it’s also a huge waste of potential with serious global consequences.

We at Plan know – from more than 75 years working with children and their communities – that a girl who has completed her education is less likely to experience violence or marry and have children while she is still a child herself.

Educated girls are more likely to be literate, healthy and survive into adulthood, as will their children. They are more likely to reinvest their income back into their families, communities and countries. Most crucial of all, educated girls are more likely to understand their rights, becoming agents of change themselves.

Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign is our commitment to supporting millions girls to get the education, skills and support they need to move themselves from poverty to opportunity.

We are proud to stand beside Malala, working together to unleash the incredible potential of girls like her around the world by ensuring that girls’ education is at the center of the international political agenda.

When Malala was finally able to return to school after months of treatment and surgery following her attack, she told reporters: “I am excited that today I have achieved my dream of going back to school. I want all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity.” We couldn’t agree more.

RAISE YOUR HAND!

We were thrilled when Malala recently showed her support for Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign by raising her hand for girls’ education.

So far, more than 600,000 people around the world have raised their hands – our aim is to reach one million hands by September when we will present them to the United Nations General Assembly. So we need your help to get there!

If you are passionate about girls’ education, head to facebook.com/planaustralia and raise your hand today, or get together with your school or local community, capture a group photo and post it to our Facebook page – the more the better and the quicker we will reach our goal.

Malala raises her hand in support of girls’ education.

THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 11

PLAN in ACTION

A

fond farewell

We celebrate saying "goodbye" to a Plan sponsorship community.

O

ver the next two years, Plan will gradually leave our sponsorship communities in Chakwal, Pakistan. And although we find it hard to say ‘goodbye’, this is a very fond farewell!

Thanks to the support of thousands of child sponsors, the socio-economic conditions of the area and the quality of life for children and their families in these communities, have vastly improved. That means that we are able to leave knowing that the communities are in a place where they can sustain these positive changes on their own.

What has been achieved?

Approximately 10,000 sponsored children and their families in 69 villages have benefited from numerous Plan-supported projects. Here’s a snapshot of some of the achievements that have been possible thanks to the support from child sponsors.

Early development and education

A key area of Plan’s focus over the past 15 years has been improving the quality of education at all levels.

From implementing a new early learning syllabus to training teachers in quality teaching practices, there has been a vast improvement in students’ attendance and performance at school.

A special achievement for Plan was in the area of early development – ensuring young children were supported to develop to their full potential in their early years. Ensuring that young children attend early learning centres improves their likelihood of success later in life and of playing a vital role in the ongoing development of their communities.

IN NUMBERS 100,000 scholarships were provided to students at varying levels of education.

10,000 children have graduated from early learning centres.

80 early learning centres were established.

400 primary and secondary teachers received training.

200 early education teachers received training.

Water, sanitation and health When Plan began working in Chakwal, going to the toilet in the open was common and, as a result of contaminated food and water sources, many children would get sick. Plan’s support focused on helping communities fix this situation permanently. We worked with communities to raise awareness of the importance of a clean environment, especially the importance of proper disposal of solid waste. In addition, improving the availability of clean drinking water in rural areas has reduced the number of sick children.

Health awareness sessions and events were also integral to Plan’s work over the last 15 years. Plan worked with local staff and local volunteers to increase the communities’ understanding of health issues and international days like World Hand Washing Day, World Toilet Day, and World Water Day were used as a platform to create awareness.

IN NUMBERS 1,775 school and household latrines were built with support from the community.

184 water hand pumps were installed with support from the community.

85 sewerage and drainage projects were established.

43 villages are now open defecation free.

80% of mothers and children in all villages benefitted from health promotion events.

Livelihoods Unemployment and poverty are major issues in Pakistan. Plan has been working to address these issues by creating employment opportunities through technical and vocational training programs for young people. The majority of young people who have received training are now earning a living from the skill that they are trained in.

Atika: a former sponsored child from Chakwal Atika lives in Chakwal with her parents and three siblings. She has just finished secondary school and will soon receive her results. Atika hopes to attend the local girls’ college and become a lawyer.

Atika (in red) speaks to others at a children’s forum in her village.

Before Plan started working in Chakwal, it was unlikely Atika would have had this opportunity.

But when Atika was sponsored by a Plan supporter in Australia, she and other children – particularly girls – in Chakwal began to benefit.

Atika became involved in a Plan-supported children’s forum and learnt about the importance of personal health and hygiene. She also took on an active role to help her village become litterfree, meeting with villagers and helping them to come up with ways to keep the surrounding environment clean.

“I became confident to discuss what children’s rights are and how they should be taken care of,” she said.

Better yet, Atika is already planning to help her community when she finishes school and finds employment.

“In future I plan to spare a part of my income for the poors of my area,” Atika said.

In addition to that, struggling families were selected to take part in a business development program to improve the success of their small businesses.

IN NUMBERS 11,000 women and men benefited from income generating activities.

1,717 young people received entrepreneur development training.

16 Production Units were set up, employing young women to prepare local product for sale.

1,600 families received vocational training.

What happens now?

When Plan begins working in a community, we don’t do things on our own. Instead we work with local organisations

Atika (in red) with other members of the children’s forum in her village.

and community members so that when we do leave, the improvements that have taken place are sustainable.

All Plan-supported villages have their own community based organisations (CBOs), which can monitor and improve development initiatives in the community. The CBOs are made up of local volunteers from the community. So far 19 CBOs in Chakwal have been registered with the Government Social Welfare Department and we expect other villages to be registered soon.

When a CBO is registered it provides them the opportunity to tap into available resources – such as training opportunities and grants – which enables them to manage the development of their villages and communities independently, for years to come.

This is true community sustainability!

GET INVOLVED Now that Plan is leaving Chakwal it’s time for us to begin work in another community. We are now looking for sponsors to support our work in Thatta district. We hope that in 15 years (maybe less!) we’ll be able to report on the success of this program too!

To find out more visit plan.org.au/sponsorship

WINTER 2013

THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 13

PLAN in ACTION

ONE FINE DAY

With a growing list of international days for recognition we take a closer look at why we have them.

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

WORLD AIDS DAY

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY

10 DECEMBER

1 DECEMBER

NOVEMBER 20

On 10 December 1950, the United Nations approved the first ever International Day: Human Rights Day. The date was chosen to commemorate one of the biggest events in the world’s history two years prior; when on 10 December 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.

The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988 after James W Bunn and Thomas Netter – two public information officers at the World Health Organisation – successfully pitched the idea to the director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS).

Universal Children’s Day was adopted in 1954 to protect the rights of children.

The UN recommended that all countries should observe a Universal Children's Day as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the United Nations. Human Rights Day honours this achievement. Every year it presents the opportunity to celebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone, everywhere.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, and her Office play a central role in coordinating events and celebrations on the 10 December.

The 1 December was decided by Bunn, a trained broadcast journalist, who believed the date would maximise coverage by western news media.

Because 1988 was an election year the 1 December was long enough after the election and soon enough before the Christmas holidays to gain news coverage.

World AIDS Day is now one of the most recognised health days in the world and in 2004, the World AIDS Campaign became an independent organisation.

The 20 November date was decided a few years later when in 1959 the UN adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Then in 1989 the UN marked Universal Children’s Day by adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which spells out the human rights that children everywhere – without discrimination – have. The 40 rights outlined in the convention can be loosely grouped under the general areas of survival, development, protection and participation.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL 11 OCTOBER

In 2011 the UN officially declared that 11 October would be known as International Day of the Girl.

Plan International led the call for this world day as part of our ''Because I am a Girl'' campaign to highlight the unique challenges and issues facing girls in many developing countries.

Why girls? Research has shown that simply being born a girl can leave a child at a huge disadvantage in life. In the poorest societies a girl faces greater risk of malnutrition, hunger and disease compared to her brothers. She will have fewer opportunities for an education and career. In many developing countries 1 out of 7 girls marries before age 15.

This is now a key date on our calendar and if you would like to join our celebrations this 11 October, visit facebook.com/becauseiamagirl.au

WINTER 2013

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MOTHER LANGUAGE

20 MARCH

21 FEBRUARY

The International Day of Happiness, which was officially adopted in 2012, is one of the most recent international days.

On the 21 February 1952 students demonstrating for recognition of their language (Bangla) as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka (the capital of what is now Bangladesh).

The call for this day was led by the Kingdom of Bhutan, a landlocked country in South Asia. Since the early 1970s, Bhutan had recognised the importance of measuring national happiness and in 2005 the country took this one step further by introducing a Gross Happiness Index.

In 2011, Bhutan took leadership on the world stage and encouraged important debate on the link between happiness, well-being and prosperity. It was from this that the UN declared that 20 March would be the International Day of Happiness to signal the importance of going beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of a country’s progress.

Now that’s something to smile about!

Although not recognised as an international day until many years later, International Mother Language Day was officially declared by the UN in 1999. It is a day to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world and the 21 February represents the fight of those students.

The Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Irina Bokova says: “multilingualism is a source of strength and opportunity for humanity.

It embodies our cultural diversity and encourages the exchange of views, the renewal of ideas and the broadening of our capacity to imagine.”

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

The

Voice

of Youth

Sophie (front and centre) with other members of World Youth International in Kenya.

I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE

OF WHO WE ALL ARE A special piece from Sophie Purdue, a new addition to Plan’s Youth P.A.C.T team.

In February this year, Plan put the call out for new members to join our youth network, called Youth P.A.C.T. From illustrations to essays, we were in awe of the talent shown in all the applications. The below was Sophie’s application, which we just had to publish.

I

have always been aware that the home I live in, the food I eat and the school I attended are all a product of where I was born. It was no skill of my own that gave me these opportunities; purely luck. As strongly as I recognise my own luck, I feel that everybody deserves the same opportunities.

At high school I took part in a World Challenge expedition to Borneo. I distinctly remember walking through the city of Miri on the day I arrived, passing by large European style houses, much like what I was accustomed to at home, black Land Rovers with Brunei number plates parked in their driveways. Upon reaching the end of the street I saw a haphazard throng of slumlike dwellings propped up against the very walls of the affluent housing. The juxtaposition slapped me in the face as I witnessed firsthand the inequalities of the world.

After leaving school I continued to travel, backpacking throughout Europe, South-East Asia and Africa. My eyes and heart were opened to diverse cultures, different ways of life and new people. The belief that everyone, regardless of race, gender or socioeconomic background, deserves an equal chance became further entrenched into my values.

that we were all accepting and tolerant and went beyond the expectations of our project brief. We adhered to the Swahili proverb ‘Ubuntu’, which roughly translates to ‘I am who I am because of who we all are’.

At University I am studying a double degree in Arts/Science, majoring in International Studies and Immunology. I have applied my passion practically by taking subjects such as Power and Poverty, and I am beginning to see a future working in International Development.

Because of where I was born I have an advantage. I want to use my advantage to help those who have not been so fortunate, by using my voice to speak up for the vulnerable, especially women and children in developing countries. I would relish the opportunity to volunteer with Youth P.A.C.T, to follow my passion and to make a difference.

I spent some time in Kenya where I volunteered with World Youth International, spending five weeks living in a remote community on Lake Victoria and assisting on the construction site of a community hospital. Through this experience I learnt how aid and international development projects really do have a positive impact in communities. Within the first week of the hospital opening, over 300 patients were treated, people that were otherwise unlikely to have received medical care due to inaccessibility. In addition to that I realised that my work was also important and that even as one person, I could have an impact.

Teamwork was incredibly important when I volunteered with World Youth International in Kenya. There were 13 of us from all over Australia, living in the confinements of one small house and working together on the project for five weeks. Within the group there were diverse personalities but I can proudly say

Sophie assisting with the construction of a community hospital in Kenya.

GET INVOLVED Youth P.A.C.T (Planning A Change Today) is a team of young people between the ages of 16-25 who want to combat issues that are plaguing the wider world by raising awareness and encouraging small changes in everyday life.

Youth P.A.C.T. is open to new members every six months with the next round of applications open in September.

Stay tuned to facebook.com/youthPACT for more information.

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GLOBAL

learning

Children at an early learning centre in Laos. Many developing countries rely on overseas aid in order to build the best foundations for children’s development.

THE POLITICS OF OVERSEAS AID

Plan’s Senior Child Rights Specialist Amalia Fawcett looks at why we should care about a political party’s commitment to overseas aid – whatever side you’re on.

A

s election time looms and the media goes into a spin about the latest policy leak, opinion poll or political gaff it’s hard to separate information that will inform your vote and everything else. For organisations like Plan, one of the biggest policy issues at election time is the commitment to overseas aid and development.

Money talks The budget is good marker of where our Government is at on its commitment to Overseas Aid. This year’s budget saw the bi-partisan target of 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI)

in overseas aid by 2015-16 pushed out another year to 201718. This was a disappointing result for those of us working to transform the world for children.

In response to the Budget we were pleased that the Coalition remains committed to the goal of 0.5% of GNI to Aid however a timetable for achievement of the goal has not yet been announced.

Every year that this target is delayed means less assistance to the world’s neediest children. It is important to keep a focus on

overseas aid at election time and scrutinising the policies of all parties is one way of doing this.

At Plan we will continue to advocate the importance of achieving the 0.5% target whoever wins Government.

Aid works Over the last decade Australia has contributed to improving access to clean water, getting more children in school, decreasing infant and maternal mortality rates and to decreasing the number of people living in extreme poverty. We know aid works, in fact Brian Atwood, the chair of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development’s Assistance Committee highlighted last year when he said: “Dollar for dollar, you get more of out a dollar of overseas development assistance than you get out of a dollar of defence spending because you are really preventing a crisis in the future if you are investing in that way.”

But the story is far from over.

There are still over a billion people living on less than US $1.25 (AUD2) a day. There are still 61 million children out of school. In fact it is estimated that one-third of all children under five in the developing world are not reaching their full potential.

What if aid stopped?

So what would happen if countries like Australia – who have committed to and are obligated under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to contribute to international efforts to reduce poverty – stopped spending on overseas aid?

The question is almost too huge to answer but even just focusing on one area – such as early childhood care and development – you can see the risks associated with a reduction in aid. Regular Global Child readers will be familiar with the power of early development programs. The period from 0–8 years is the crucial window for ensuring optimal cognitive, physical and emotional development occurs. Without quality care during these years, children are more likely to have unstable relationships across their lifetime, leave school and be involved with juvenile justice.

They are also less likely to find stable employment.

But even more shocking is the domino effect of inadequate early childhood care which includes stunting brain development and physical growth, weaker immune systems impaired cognitive skills and long-term psychological difficulties. The combined physical effects then lead to greater frequency of preventable illness and even death.

Did you know?

A Newspoll survey conducted in March 2012 showed that 85% of Australians surveyed support overseas aid and 58% strongly support overseas aid.

Addressing continued ill health, juvenile justice issues and lack of education once a child is an adolescent is expensive, time consuming and difficult. It costs considerably less to prevent these issues through early development programs.

Australia’s neighbouring countries have high youth populations so getting it right for their children from day one is essential for the long-term stability of their countries and indeed our region. In order to build the best foundations for children’s development, many developing countries rely on overseas aid that can be directed towards education and health.

We need leadership on aid In February Plan’s CEO, Ian Wishart, publically questioned who can be trusted in Australian politics to “show the kind of leadership we need to genuinely tackle the problems of poverty experienced by most of the world’s poor.” In the run up to the election the question remains unanswered.

Australian’s overwhelmingly support overseas aid so when deciding who to vote for it is a consideration for many of us whether our representatives honour that value. Aid set aside for the world’s poorest children should not be diverted or repurposed. We should demand that our leaders recognise this and identify the links between aid and stability. We should demand this of our leaders so that children in developing countries can grow up to demand it from theirs.

WANT MORE? If you want to investigate your preferred party’s stance on aid go to their website where all policies are detailed.

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For a full list of registered parities go to the Australian Electoral Commission at www.aec.gov.au

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supporters

Zoe with some of her photographs at her exhibition Walk with me, See What I See.

in focus

FIVE MINUTES WITH …

THE FUNDRAISER Zoe is not your average teenager. At the age of 13, she’s discovered a passion for photography, has held an exhibition, and is fundraising for causes close to her heart. Last year her photography exhibition, called ‘Walk with me, see what I see’ raised more than $280 for Plan. We wanted to find out a little more.

Tell me a little about yourself I live in Melbourne and I love photography, listening to music and going places. I have an 11-year-old brother named PJ, he has severe autism, and my sister Lauren is 21 and she has a daughter of her own.

How long have you been doing photography?

I started playing around with my mum’s digital camera when I was six or seven, so I’ve been doing it for a while now. In 2011 the camera broke and I asked mum and dad for a DSLR - It’s really great I’ve now been using it for two years. I picked it up pretty quickly and started shooting straight away.

Why do you love photography?

I love how the camera can capture what I see, my point of view. I like to capture the small things, like beautiful raindrops.

Is that why you called your exhibition ‘Walk with me, see what I see?’

Yes, Mum helped me think of the name because most of my photos were taken while I was walking around – they were of things I see every day.

So, you also used that as an opportunity to raise money, is that right?

Yes I raised money for Plan. I wanted to that because I sponsor a child in Kenya named Irenie and sponsoring a child has taught me more about the world. The other organisation I raised money for was Amaze, which is Autism Victoria. We decided to donate to it because I have Asperger’s Syndrome.

You raised over $280 for Plan. How did that make you feel to raise all of that money for charity?

It was amazing. I just felt really grateful to give that to someone else. I visited the Plan office to hand over the cheque and I met Ian, your CEO, he was really nice.

What would you say to other’s thinking about fundraising?

I would say, go for it! It’s an amazing thing to do.

If Zoe has inspired you to fundraise (she’s definitely inspired us!) head to plan.org.au/Get-Involved for more information.

Carolyn and her husband Noel with their sponsored child’s father, village chief and local Plan representative in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.

Carolyn during her travels to Cambodia with children at a medical centre in Siem Reap.

THE VOLUNTEER Carolyn Coxhead is a lot of things; a mother of 4 and grandmother of 8, a piano teacher, and Director of a small charity. If that wasn’t enough, she also volunteers with Plan. Here we learn a little more about how volunteering has impacted her.

How did you end up volunteering at Plan?

It’s an interesting story because I wasn’t looking to volunteer myself. Friends of mine in Cambodia have a daughter and she was studying English at university in Phnom Penh. She wanted to be a translator and ultimately work at an NGO. I knew that her English would improve dramatically if she spent some time in an English speaking country. So I invited her to stay with us here in Melbourne for a year, organised an online course for her, and called Plan to see if she could volunteer to get some work experience. We started coming in together and then at the end of her year when she went home l kept volunteering!

How did you choose Plan?

I was sponsoring a child through Plan and had travelled to Cambodia to visit a Plan project. I already knew the staff and trusted the organisation.

Travelling to the field must have been a great experience.

It was. I was really impressed to see how the Plan staff in the field were all locals. It made me realise that when you support Plan you’re not just helping the people who live in that community. It goes all the way up.

Why do you like volunteering?

As a volunteer, you become more aware of what goes on and the reasons for decisions that are made - you get a better feel for the whole scope of what happens. You meet really interesting and diverse people and feel a part of the organisation. It also means that I can talk to my grandchildren about Plan and the things that go on in an organisation like this.

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Has volunteering at Plan impacted your relationship with your grandchildren?

When Global Child comes out I always leave it on the coffee table or a bench and when they come to visit I’ll show them something in it. Now for Christmas I give the grandchildren Plan gifts. They get a card with the Plan gift and I tell them how proud I am that they’re helping children who aren’t as lucky as they are at Christmas time. I remember the first time I did it I got quite emotional about it. I felt overcome that this is what we’d decided to do and they were happy to accept those sorts of gifts.

That must be shaping the people they become.

Yes, they are all growing up with great social consciences. One of my grandchildren, Lucy, was asked to write a poem at school – slam poetry I think it was and she wrote a poem (see page 5) about children’s education and how we should all care and help.

She never talked to me about the fact that she wrote it but when I found out about it I brought it into Plan and everyone loved it (and wanted to publish it) I guess the slam worked because people noticed it!

If someone was thinking about volunteering at Plan, what would you say to them?

I’d say, go online and apply to volunteer. When you’re here see how hard everyone works and that they really rely on volunteers.

The staff and other volunteers are great and they really need the help. At the end of the day you go home feeling like you’ve made a difference.

We are now accepting more volunteers, to find out more visit plan.org.au/Get-Involved

THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 21

supporters in focus

In fact, Amy’s youngest daughter was three months old when she decided to send off her application (now that’s determination!).

And that was that. With a little training and a lot of fundraising – over $12,000 between them – they were on their way to SouthEast Asia.

Over 12 days and 400km they joined a group of 27 other dedicated supporters to battle sweltering conditions and bumpy roads and cycle through Vietnam and Cambodia, collectively raising more than $120,000.

“It was amazing because my sisters were there with me. We had our moments where we rode together we would just chat our way through some of the hard parts, and then other times we would all be in different places and just ride by ourselves,” says Amy.

nna on

dA t: Amy, Josie an From left to righ 2013.

Cycle for Girls

SISTER ACT Amy, Josie and Anna cycled for girls and they think you should too.

T

he famous Nike tagline of 'Just Do It' has never been more apt than when speaking to sisters Amy, Josie and Anna.

The trio – who joined Plan earlier this year on a fundraising adventure called Cycle for Girls – didn’t have to think twice about helping to raise vital funds for our ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.

“I knew if I thought about logistics too much I would talk myself out of it. I thought I just have to do this,” says Amy, 29, the eldest, who is herself a mother of three young girls. And who roped her sisters into the challenge.

“As soon as I read the email [from Plan] I immediately thought I’m doing this with my sisters,” she says.

In addition to filling their senses with the sights, sounds and smells of Asia: floating markets, seaside villages, and dazzling green rice fields, the group visited a Plan-supported project in Kampong Cham, to see firsthand the type of project the money they raised would support.

“Visiting the Plan project was amazing – words can’t describe that. We got to see how hands on Plan is and how committed they are, which was fantastic,” says Josie, the middle sister at 25.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for all on the trip was the overwhelming support they received, not just from family and friends in Australia, but in the very communities they were raising money for.

“The kids would run out and high-five us as we rode along which I think was my favourite part, seeing them so excited, and the adults would give you a smile or a nod,” says Josie.

And younger sister Anna, 22, agrees: “Yes, they were just so excited to see us. It brought tears to my eyes. Having [the children] run out, screaming. It was very overwhelming actually.

I think I’ll definitely sponsor a child out of it.”

And so there you have it. Deciding now and thinking later worked for these three, and the experience was beyond their expectations. What would they say to others thinking about participating in next year’s Cycle for Girls?

Josie summed it up perfectly: “It’s such a hard thing to explain what you’ve experienced. So you often find yourself simply saying ‘it was amazing, you just have to do it for yourself’.”

We couldn’t have said it better if we tried.

GET INVOLVED Cycle for Girls is a fundraising challenge that helps raise funds for Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.

Because of the great success of Cycle for Girls earlier this year, we’re holding another challenge in 2014! We are now recruiting and we would love you to join us. For more information and to sign up visit inspiredadventures.com.au/cycleforgirls

22 GLOBAL CHILD THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA

WINTER 2013

This publication has been printed by an ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) and ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) certified printer using vegetable based inks and a 100% alcohol free printing process. It is manufactured using an independently audited carbon neutral process. The paper is ecoStar, a FSC速 Recycled certified paper made carbon neutral (CN), manufactured from 100% post consumer recycled paper in a process chlorine free environment and under an ISO 14001 EMS. This publication is fully recyclable, please dispose of wisely.

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THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA GLOBAL CHILD 23

Help give a child a safe, strong, happy start in life for just $24!

Thanks to your support, children in India thrive at a Plan-supported early learning centre.

90% of a child’s development happens before they are 5.

Malnutrition, illness and lack of stimulation during this time can affect a child forever.

That’s why your support through Plan for early childhood programs in countries like India is so important.

Parents learn how to support their child’s development and early learning centres provide a safe and stimulating environment for children to learn through play, so they are ready to succeed in school.

For just $24 you can provide this essential care for one child for one year. $720 can fund an entire centre!

Call 13 75 26 or go to www.plan.org.au