AlertNet members Plan UK

About Plan UK

Founded in 1937, the international aid organisation Plan works to improve the lives of poor children through development and sponsorship programmes in 62 countries worldwide.

Homepage

Donations:

http://www.plan-uk.org

Expertise:

Education, Food and hunger/nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Health and disease, Shelter

Countries of operation:

albania, bangladesh, benin, bolivia, brazil, burkina-faso, cambodia, cameroon, china, colombia, dominican-republic, ecuador, egypt, el-salvador, ghana, guatemala, guinea, guinea-bissau, haiti, honduras, india, indonesia, kenya, malawi, mali, nepal, nicaragua, niger, pakistan

Latest aid agencies campaigns and appeals

1. Plan UK

   Emergency Appeal for Colombian Flood Victims

   Children’s charity Plan International has launched a £1.25 million appeal to help victims of devastating floods in Colombia. Officials estimate that 2.23 million people have been affected by the heaviest rainfalls in the South American country’s history. So far 311 people have died, 289 have been injured and 64 are missing. “Some parts of the country have been set back 15 to 20 years,” says Plan’s Country Director in Colombia, Gabriela Bucher. “More than 328,000 houses have been damaged and more than 5,000 have been completely destroyed.” It’s thought only 6% of people affected have managed to find accommodation in temporary shelters. So far the disaster is estimated to have cost the nation more than £3 billion. Plan International is concentrating its response in Bolovar, one of the worst-hit regions in the country. “We are working to make sure more than 16,000 people, including children, have enough food to survive on,” says Ms. Bucher. “Some families have lost everything and many crops have been completely wiped out.” “People also need somewhere safe and secure to stay, together with practical necessities like mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, water-purification tablets and cooking kits,” adds Ms Bucher. Alongside providing emergency supplies, Plan aims to protect children from abuse of any kind. “We are in the process of developing child-friendly spaces where kids can play and learn about issues that affect them,” says Ms Bucher. Across the country, sanitation remains poor in flood-hit areas. Rates of acute diarrhoea, respiratory infections, dengue and malaria are rising. Getting children back to school is also proving problematic. 852 schools have been damaged, affecting 320,000 young people. 360 educational facilities are being used as short-term shelters. Plan International is working with the government and partner agencies in order to co-ordinate relief efforts across the country. “We are used to flooding in Colombia, but it has never lasted so long, nor reached such a critical point,” says Ms Bucher. The Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, is currently in Europe to try to attract international attention to the crisis. More heavy rainfall is predicted for Colombia in February. To donate to Plan International’s appeal for Colombia visit www.plan-uk.org/colombia or call 0800 526 848. -Ends- For more information and interviews please contact: Rose Foley Media Relations Officer PLAN UK Tel: 0203 217 0257 Notes to editors Plan International Colombia • Plan has been working in Colombia since 1962, helping poor children to access their rights to health, education, livelihoods and protection. We do not have any political, governmental or religious affiliations. • We work closely with communities so that they can organise and participate actively in solving their own problems. • We work in 35 municipalities and directly support 140,000 boys, girls and adolescents. 700,000 families benefit from our endeavours to create opportunities for children. Plan International UK 1) Plan was founded by British journalist John Langdon-Davies in 1937 to rescue orphans and other vulnerable children from the Spanish Civil War. 2) Today we work in 48 of the poorest countries on the planet across Africa, Asia and South America. 3) We have over 114,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £25 million a year, and 1.5 million sponsored children worldwide. 4) Our projects, including schools and health centres, are geared to working with children and their communities to help them build a better future. 5) Sponsorship starts at £15-a-month and, rather than going to individual children and their families, funds projects to improve schooling, health, nutrition and livelihoods across communities. 6) Plan UK is a member of The Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies (CBHA), a consortium of 15 leading British NGOs with an initial two-year funding of £8m from DFID to deliver appropriate, high quality, quicker humanitarian assistance to those affected by disaster.

2. Plan UK

   Appeal for East Africa

   Children’s charity Plan UK has launched a £6.2m appeal to help those caught up in the East Africa drought. About 10 million people across the region are in need of food and other assistance, after some of the worst drought conditions seen for decades. “Recurrent drought increases the vulnerability of millions of children” says Plan’s Country Director in Ethiopia, David Throp. “Efforts by government, donors, communities and humanitarian agencies over recent years have become increasingly coordinated, with the national safety net programme supporting millions of poor households. Nevertheless, a growing population, depletion of natural resources, climate change and the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters continues to put people at risk of food insecurity.” The La Nina weather phenomenon during 2010 meant poor rains and drought in the southern and south-eastern lowlands of the country. Poor rainfall during the first months of 2011 have worsened conditions in parts of Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali and SNNP regions. Plan’s East Africa response will include work in Ethiopia – such as providing nutritious food for young children and mothers, school meals, water, seeds, livestock and fertilizers. Children will be supported to remain in school with minimal disruption to their learning. Attention will be given to the specific risks faced by children, especially girls and young women. “Girls are particularly at risk,” says Mr Throp. “They’re often the first to go hungry if families don’t have enough food, and economic pressures may lead to them dropping out of school, migration and even early marriage.” Plan has launched an East Africa appeal. For more information and to make a donation call 0800 526 848 or visit www.plan-uk.org Contact: Rose Foley Media Relations Officer Plan UK | www.plan-uk.org Direct Line: 0203 217 0257 | Switchboard: 0300 777 9777 / +44 (0)20 7608 1311 (Non-UK) | Mobile: 07964 296 431 1) Plan is a global children’s charity. We work with children in the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future. A future you would want for all children, your family and friends. For over 70 years we’ve been taking action and standing up for every child’s right to fulfill their potential by: • giving children a healthy start in life, including access to safe drinking water • securing the education of girls and boys • working with communities to prepare for and survive disasters • inspiring children to take a lead in decisions that affect their lives • enabling families to earn a living and plan for their children’s future. We do what’s needed, where it’s needed most. We do what you would do. With your support children, families and entire communities have the power to move themselves from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity. www.plan.org.uk 2) Plan UK is a member of The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organisation for 14 leading humanitarian aid agencies. 3) We work with children in 48 of the world’s poorest countries to help them build a better future. 4) Plan was founded by British journalist John Langdon-Davies in 1937 to rescue orphans and other vulnerable children from the Spanish Civil War. 6) We have over 114,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £25 million a year, and 1.5 million sponsored children worldwide. 7) Sponsorship starts at £15-a-month and, rather than going to individual children and their families, funds projects to improve schooling, health, nutrition and livelihoods across communities.