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PLAN international is a child focused
human development organisation.Established in 1937, PLAN
International
is a humanitarian, child-focussed,
private, voluntary, development
organization without religious,
political or governmental affiliation.
Child sponsorship forms the bedrock
ot
PLAN International's pro-grams in 40
developing countries, which are
funded
by sponsors in Australia, Belgium,
Canada, France, Germany, Japan,
the
Netherlands, the United kingdom and
the
United States. Its programs directly
benefit more than 830,000 deprived
children and their families and
communities. In South Asia, PLAN
programs in Nepal, India,
Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka and Pakistan are supponed
by
a regional office in Colombo, Sri lanka.
PLAN International in Nepal
PLAN International began in Nepal in
1978 by providing financial help to
community development programs
for 200
families in the Sitapaila area of
kathmandu Valley.
Today, almost two decades later, the
organization supports development
programs that affect approximately
30,000 needy children and families in
10 districts, out of which 72 per cent
belong to disadvantaged ethnic
communities.The next five to six
years
will see an expansion of PLAN
International's programs, mainly in
the
mid- and far-western regions of
Nepal.
In the areas where PLAN has long
been
active, the organization will
concentrate on reaching the bottom
10
per cent of the poor, focussing on
women and children.
PLAN will continue to decentralise
operations to cope with its
expansion.
Program unit offices will remain close
to the area of activities, supported
by
staff and volunteers from the
communities, with increasing
authority
to manage their own operations.
In the critical areas of girl-children,
women, and child labor, PLAN has
launched several new programs as a
way
of gaining experience and insight.
New
program initiatives are underway in
Kathmandu, and in Bara and Banke
districts. One provides rehabilitation
services to street children; another,
begun in January 1996, is engaged
in
the rescue and rehabilitation of
Nepali
girls presently in Bombay and
Calcutta
brothels; the third is the Bara
program, which focusses on enrolling
girlchildren and on changing the
perneption and status of women;
and
lastly, PLAN supports a program in
Banke for Badi girls and women in
prostitution.
VISION AND MISSION
PLAN International in Nepal envisions
itself as a learning, child-focussed,
human development organization,
committed to enhancing justice and
gender equity, workingin global
partnership to create opportunities
for
children and women in difficult
circumstances, to realize and sustain
their full human potential.
In respecting the fundamental right
to
self-determination, PLAN
International
is committed to participating in the
process of people's development,
especially for the poorest children
and
women, particularly from
marginalized
ethnic groups, through:
· poverty alleviation
· capacity building
· group processes and organization
STRATEGY
It is well established that socially
prescribed gender roles have denied
equal education, health, rights and
participation to girls and women
across
class and caste differences. The
disadvantages that women and girls
experience vis-a-vis men and boys in
terms of access to and control over
resources within households and
communities is the cause of their
continuing marginalization.
In Nepal, development strategies
have
attempted to address these social
and
economic inequities through a
women and
development approach, but this
approach
has tended to free men from
accountability, thus further
marginalizing women. Recognizing
these
gaps, PLAN Nepal is
engaged in developing a specific
strategy to integrate gender and
equity
into all its policies and program
activities.
PLAN International's overall strategy
aims to incorporate principles of child
focus, participation, people-
centredness, gender equity,
environmental sustainability and
empowerment of communities, while
addressing the needs of the poorest
and
most marginalized ethnic groups.
PLAN will look freshly at the critical
issues of development so as to
evolve a
base for program planning and
interventions in key need areas as
identified by participatory processes.
Simply put, PLAN's efforts are aimed
at
giving voices to those who are
voiceless by facilitating their
involvement in the process of their
own
development. To accomplish this, the
organization subscribes to the
principles of collaboration,
networking, learning, and integration.
KEY FOCUS AREAS
Given the identification of target
groups in PLAN's Mission, PLAN's
development strategy will be
childAocussed and it will emphasize
gender balance, and group
processes in
all the following key focus areas:
Poverty reduction
Identification of skills and talents of
women and men
Access to credit
HeaIth
· Health awareness and education
· Indigenous health systems
· Preventive health responses
· Integraung with existing health
support system
Education
· Non-institutional education
· Early childhood/out of school
· Functional education
· Quality of reaching
Also on:
· Networking: within PLAN, and with
donors, community, government and
INGOS.
· Championing: the rights of children
and women, as well as other critical
development issues.
· Innovation. through new initiatives,
team based management practices
and
strengthening community
organization,
with an emphasis on participatory
processes.
Sunsari/Morang and Bhojpur Program
Year established 1991
No. of VDCs 62
No. of enrolled famules 10,040
COMMUNITIES Over 60% coverage of
Tharu,
Risidev; Raibansi,Rai, Gurung,Sattar,
Mahto, Koireei
PROGRAM FOCUS income generation,
women
literacy, potable drinking water,
infrastructure development and
family
planning
Makwanpur Program
Year established 1995
No of VDCs 15
No. of enrolled families 3853
COMMUNITIES 67% coverage of of
Tamang;
the remaining are Magar, Rai, Gurung
,
Hindu occupational castes
PROGRAM FOCUS Girl-Child focus,
savings
and credit rehabilitation of children
in the carpet industry, agncultural
interventions for livelihood,
prevention of girl trafficking and HIV/
AIDS, development of indigenous
health
system
Banke/Salyan Program
Year established 1995
No. of VDC 29
No. of enrolled families 5019
COMMUNITIES 60% coverage of
Tharu; the
remaining are Chamras,
Muslim,Magar,Badi, Yadavs, Kurmis,
Hindu occupational castes
PROGRAM FOCUS Grassroots
awakening,
Social mobilisation awareness,
economic
development, health and sanitation,
information and education, program
for
Badi prostitutes and development
program for occupational Castes in
Nepalgunj
Rautahat /Bara Program
Year established 1993
No. of VDCs 29
No of enrolled families 5965
COMMUNITIES Over 90% cover of
Tharu,
Chamar, Mushahar, Dusadh Dhobl,
Muslim
PROGRAM FOCUS Savings and credit,
primary health care, habitat and
environment, early childhood
education,
girl-child enrollment, integration with
the National Health System
Kathmandu Program
Year established 1978
No. of VDC's 31 VDCs current
working,
No. of enrolled families 5683
COMMUNITIES Hindu occupational
castes,
Tamang , Brahmin, Chhetri, Newar
PROGRAM FOCUS Infrastructure
development, health education,
family
development programs, income
generation, community capacity
building
Plan