As challenging as 2024 was, there were also moments of inspiration and reasons to be hopeful. To inspire you for the year ahead — and celebrate the work we have accomplished together — here are eight photos that illustrate just a small slice of the impact you made for children, especially girls, and their communities in 2024!  

You helped girls like Lethubuhle stay safe and educated.

Lethubuhle, 15, tends to vegetables in her school’s garden. | Tendai Marima, ©Plan International

 

In Zimbabwe, girls face many challenges to completing their education, including poverty, early marriage, teenage pregnancy and long, dangerous walks to school.

With your support, Plan International is building safe and inclusive dormitories so that girls like 15-year-old Lethubuhle can stay in school and build their futures. The fully-furnished dorm where Lethubuhle lives opened in 2024 and is now home to 34 girls.

“I love school and I like having my friends around,” Lethubuhle shares. “I like to help with school projects that help us to provide food, such as raising chickens and growing vegetables.”

You fought against period stigma alongside girls like Alma.

Alma, 16, receives a menstrual health kit from Plan staff in Paraguay. | Anselmo Garcete, ©Plan International

 

In Paraguay, where 16-year-old Alma lives, menstruation is surrounded by myths and stigma.

“In school, they talk about it, but that’s as far as it goes, it’s not like they prepare you for anything,” Alma says. “There are no pads, so if you need one suddenly, you can’t go ask for one.”

To support girls like Alma, Plan International has set up adolescent clubs to improve access to information, education and comprehensive health services for young people.

Alma welcomes the clubs and says she would like to see the taboos surrounding menstruation broken down.

“It’s very important that there is better education about menstrual management, both in the family and at school,” Alma says.

You motivated sponsored children like Lourdes to make history.

Former sponsored child Lourdes is proud to be the first female mayor of her town in Ecuador. | ©Plan International

 

As a sponsored child until the age of 18, Lourdes frequently participated in training sessions organized by Plan. “They would give us talks about rights, education, gender equality and self-esteem, which really shaped my education,” Lourdes says.

With support from her family and her sponsor, Lourdes worked hard in school and pursued her goals with determination.

When she was offered the opportunity to run for mayor, Lourdes initially refused, because she felt she would face prejudice as a woman. However, the desire to serve her community outweighed her fear. She won with 42% of the vote — a historic milestone — and became the first female mayor of her town.

“One of my main priorities is to fight for gender equality,” Lourdes says. “With education, kindness and motivation, everyone can work towards a more just and equal society.”

You helped to keep girls like Eleen safe during crises like war and natural disasters.

Eleen, 8, lives with her family in a school that has been converted to a shelter in Lebanon. | Rachel Challita, ©Plan International

 

Eleen, 8, is one of more than 1.2 million people who have been displaced due to the conflict in Lebanon. She is currently living with her family in a school that was converted into a shelter.

“We had to leave our house and village with my parents, brothers, uncles and cousins,” Eleen shares. “The road was scary, full of bombs and air strikes. It was a very tiring and long journey.”

Since day one, Plan has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Lebanon, providing lifesaving assistance to children and families, including food, blankets, hygiene kits and psychosocial support.

You provided communities with clean water, helping girls like Apriana to stay healthy and educated.

In Indonesia, sponsored child Apriana, 12, no longer has to walk long distances to collect water and is able to focus on her education instead. | ©Plan International

 

Apriana is a 12-year-old sponsored child from Indonesia with a passion for science. However, her quest for knowledge was hampered by one of life’s most basic yet critical needs: access to clean water. In Apriana’s community, the lack of clean water affects residents’ health, disrupts children’s education and is a barrier to economic stability.

Plan launched an initiative to distribute large water tanks to households in Lembata, including Apriana’s. This initiative promised immediate relief and paved the way for sustainable development within the community.

Apriana no longer has to walk for hours to collect water, allowing her to focus more on her studies, especially her favorite subject, science.

“Thank you so much to Plan International for always supporting us,” Apriana says. “My family and I were so happy to receive this water tank because it’s really helping us to collect clean water.”

You encouraged young women like Denyse to forge a new path.

Denyse, 21, is proud to be a welder after participating in a vocational training program supported by Plan in Rwanda. | Solange Iradukunda, ©Plan International

 

After graduating from high school, Denyse was unsure what to do next — until she heard about a vocational training course in her community offering to teach girls welding skills.

Plan, alongside our working partner Learn Work Develop, provides vocational training opportunities for young women in Rwanda with the aim of encouraging them to challenge the gender stereotypes that often hold them back.

“I saw this as a learning opportunity which could shield me against an uncertain future,” Denyse, now 21, says. “Welding is normally seen as a job for boys or men, so I wanted to challenge this perception, and show that girls can succeed in this profession as well. … One of my goals is to prove that girls can be innovators. Whenever they have the opportunity, girls can achieve their dreams and greatness.”

You helped sponsored children like Kervenson receive the lifesaving care he needed.

With support from people like you, sponsored child Kervenson, 13, was able to have the lifesaving surgery he needed. | ©Plan International

 

For many children growing up in vulnerable communities, there’s no way their families can afford life-changing interventions like surgery or hospitalization. But your support helps children like 13-year-old Kervenson, a sponsored child in Haiti, receive the care they need to heal and recuperate.

“Water was found in my lungs, and I had to have surgery,” Kervenson shares. “My parents couldn’t afford it, but luckily Plan helped me out. Since the surgery, I feel much better. If I hadn’t had the operation, I could have died. I’m grateful to be alive.”

 You inspired young activists like Babita to paint the future they want to see.

Participants of the Art is Power workshop in Nepal proudly display their artwork. | Raj Kumar, ©Plan International

 

Plan’s Art is Power project in Nepal is creating spaces for young people to raise their voices through art, fostering dialogue on critical issues like the impact of climate change on girls’ education. When crises occur, girls and women are disproportionally impacted. Girls often have to leave school to help their mothers manage the increased burden.

The activists’ paintings from the workshop took center stage at the launch event for Plan’s report For Our Futures: Youth Voices on Climate Justice and Education, which sheds light on the impact of the climate crisis on access to education for girls in the Asia Pacific region.

One of the workshop participants was 19-year-old Babita, who has participated in Plan programs since she became a sponsored child at age 8. Now, she is a passionate advocate for gender equality and climate action.

“I may be young, but my voice carries the dreams of generations,” Babita says. “I am determined to influence local policies for climate action to ensure a sustainable future for us all.”