PLAN International (Benin / Egypt)
Founded in 1937, Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
In 2019/2020, the Eurofins Foundation provided a grant to the programme Saksham, within which 2,241 young people (55% of which were girls) in India benefited from Job Oriented Vocational Training to acquire professional skills. 67% of participants have already been placed in a company in the cities of Delhi, Lucknow and Deradhun. In addition, 765 young people (80% girls) benefited from Vocational Training for Entrepreneurship Promotion, out of which 80% are already self-employed in the cities of Garsain, Uttarkashi and Lucknow.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation supported the first year of the project AGIR, Support for quality education in Benin, where, at a national level, gender-based violence, such as rape, transactional sex, unwanted pregnancies, and forced and early marriages, is significant among school-age girls. Early marriages and pregnancies are particularly common obstacles to girls accessing education.
This programme empowers girls with the knowledge and skills they need to build their future. Important sensitisation work is also carried out with the community and the national and regional institutions that play a key role in the process of achieving an equal status for women in Benin society.
During its first year of operation, the project has impacted more than 21,000 pupils, of which 46% are girls, across 90 schools:
- 1,826 students and candidates for the Certificate of Primary Studies (CPS) exam, including 831 girls, benefited from reinforcement courses in order to better prepare them for sitting the CPS exams.
- 4,329 people, of which 47.27% were women, were mobilised to set up local governance structures for school affairs. 1,347 pupils with learning difficulties, including 791 girls, improved their academic ability through the tutoring system.
- 34 solar electrification kits were installed in 102 classrooms and 34 principals' offices across 32 schools.
One of the objectives of the project is to work for equitable access for girls and boys in schools but also top strengthen their retention in the education system. The establishment and revitalisation of certain community-based organisations such as Parents and Mothers’ Associations contributes to minimising school dropouts, through mediation sessions with parents and personalised visits with students (especially those at risk of dropping out).
A system for monitoring absences from school has been set up, allowing teachers to provide weekly information on absences observed in class and to meet with families. Thus, the school dropout rate fell from 13% at the end of the 2019-20 school year to 10% at the end of 2020-21.
Working to improve the quality of education is also part of the project’s goal, through:
- Improving of teaching conditions (equipment, latrines, electrification),
- Training schoolteachers on issues of inclusion and gender-based violence in schools. This has enabled most teachers to review their teaching practices by integrating gender aspects.
In addition, and since 2021, the Eurofins Foundation is also contributing to the success of the Tamkeen programme to help young people gain access to employment in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, through gender-sensitive and demand-driven skill training. The programme also promoted equal economic opportunities and gender-supportive environments at community and institutional levels.
Some achievements of the programme include:
- One gender-responsive market scan was conducted, showing the availability of employment opportunities for targeted beneficiaries in targeted geographical locations;
- 54 information sessions were carried out in Cairo and Alexandria, along with sports days, reaching more than 2,000 young people;
- A new training centre was established in Cairo and equipment was provided to an existing training centre in Alexandria;
- The training curriculum was revised with the integration of gender analysis to identify the specific needs of women, including learning needs, training hours, career counselling, and job mentoring, etc;
- Three protocols were signed with large private sector companies to provide job training;
- In total, 1,861 young people were trained in required skills by partnered technical training institutions
One key aimof the project is to create awareness and advocate for a more inclusive and gender supportive environment for women to have active participation in economic activities both in the area of wage and self-employment.
In 2023/2024, Eurofins Foundation is renewed its support to the TAMKEEN project, for its last phase.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
