2022 Annual Report | Full Edition

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE & RESILIENCE

SPOTLIGHT

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Food for thought How our education-in-emergencies programs are mitigating the devastating effect the hunger crisis is having on girls’ education.

FOOD BASICS In some of the world’s hunger hotspots, we provided humanitarian relief through programs in Nigeria, Myanmar and Sierra Leone.

SPOTLIGHT SAFETY ZONES

In Nigeria’s Borno and Yobe areas, threats to education are imminent as insurgent groups attack schools and kidnap children and teachers. An estimated 10.5 million children aren’t in school, the highest number in the world. In northern Nigeria, more than half of girls are out of school. The education-in-emergencies project launched 63 accelerated-learning classes that condense three years of education into nine months for children who have gaps in their learning. Safety protocols in schools ensure that students learn in supportive and safe environments. “When education is under attack, a generation is attacked,” says Charles Usie, country director at Plan International Nigeria. “Girls are more susceptible to gender-based violence, and the fear of this happening often forces them to withdraw from school. This program helps quell parents’ fears that classrooms are too dangerous.”

“School wasn’t a priority,

but the feeding

program has brought many students back to class.” – Ramla, 14

Myanmar, in Rakhine State

Sierra Leone, in 11 chiefdoms

PROJECT A food-assistance program for internally displaced persons and host communities. We distributed food and supplemented diets with nutrient-rich foods. SITUATION An estimated 1.8 million people have fled their homes due to the conflict with Boko Haram and the Nigerian military. The majority of the displaced are women and children. They live in camps and rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. SUPPORTERS A 12-month $20-million project funded by the World Food Programme and individual Canadian supporters (included $18 million in gift-in-kind food). IMPACT Food for 140,000 individuals (53% female) and supplementary feeding for 9,000 children under five and 7,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women.

PROJECT A cash-transfer program so women, girls, boys and men living in six internally-displaced-persons (IDP) camps could purchase the food they needed to survive. SITUATION More than 130,000 Rohingya fled to IDP camps due to the conflict with the Arakan army and the Myanmar army. They face additional challenges, such as COVID-19 and extreme weather events, like floods. SUPPORTERS A 12-month $10.7-million project funded by the World Food Programme and individual Canadian supporters. IMPACT 58,072 displaced persons (51% female) received US$10 monthly. Recipients included 6,000 boys and 5,640 girls under five, 1,432 pregnant and breastfeeding women, 22,109 men and 22,891 women.

PROJECT A school-meals program. SITUATION Many children in rural areas are unable to attend school due to poverty and hunger. SUPPORTERS A nine-month project funded by the Sierra Leone government and Canadian supporters. IMPACT 371,054 students (50% female) in 1,361 schools received hot meals. Plus, women farmers were given gari grain to reduce reliance on imported rice. “we value our partnership with the World FOod Programme. Without them, we couldn’t address the hunger crisis.” – Dr. Tanjina Mirza, chief programs officer

When food is scarce, children go to school hungry and are unable to concentrate – or they drop out altogether. In 2022, Plan International provided 22,595 children in four countries with a daily hot meal of rice and beans. One of those students is Ramla, who lives in the Ganze sub-county in Kenya. “Before the feeding program, we used to miss school to fetch water and do jobs to earn a living,” says Ramla, 14, who is now back in school. Food crises can have devastating consquences on girls’ education. When families are hungry, girls are left to care for younger siblings while their

parents work or look for food. When they drop out of school, this puts them at a greater risk of gender-based violence, forced marriage and early pregnancy.As the hunger crisis worsens, Plan International will expand the program in Kenya to reach 45,200 children. “The school feeding program is helping curb absenteeism,” says teacher Kaingu Kazungu. “Of a class of 50 students, only 20 or fewer were coming to school each day, but since the food came, the classes are full to the brim and we are even able to offer food to siblings who are too young to attend school.”

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74 | 2022 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report | 75