Case studies
In some of the African communities where Plan works, one of the issues identified by the children and their families was education. Last year our evaluation of Plan’s education programmes showed an increased enrolment in schools over the last three years, specifically:
- In one area in Sierra Leone – 18,000 more pupils were enrolled in primary education;
- In Niger – 30 per cent in 2003, 41 per cent in 2004, to 50 per cent in 2005;
- In Guinea – increased enrolment of boys from 67 per cent to 81 per cent and from 54 per cent to 77 per cent for girls;
- In Kenya – 21 per cent increase in enrolment of girls. In Tanzania, a community-based health care programme has greatly increased access to primary care in some of the communities Plan works with. Project evaluation shows that:
- Family planning services are more widely available and more frequently used;
- The improved quality of the care has contributed to improve child nutrition;
- Breast-feeding has increased and malnutrition has decreased from 24 to 10 per cent in children below 5.
In Albania over the last three years a reproductive health programme has contributed to a reduction of 16 per cent of women with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The percentage of mothers with knowledge on family planning and contraceptives has increased from 27 to 65 per cent with the percentage of mothers who made pre and post-natal visits to the health centre increased from 88 to 98 percent.
Personal account
| “At first we thought Plan were only here to damage our agricultural field. Who do they think they are to push water from down the gorge up to the hills and claim they give us water. But today we witnessed that it is possible. God has answered our prayers. He brought Plan to our area, helped them push water upward and supply us with abundant water at our nearest point” |
AtoMariye Gelay
Elder from Lalibela, Ethiopia |
In Lalibela water-borne diseases are the second major killer. Children and women had to walk up and down the mountains to collect water, and even then it was dirty. Plan developed 14 springs and 2 hand-dug wells to provide the community with safe and reliable water.
Through a solar pump, water is now pumped uphill to a reservoir with a holding capacity of 10,000 cubic meters. From here, the water flows to water points in the community and at the school compound. Mrs Fanta Misgana, mother of four children, is delighted.
| “We cannot live without water. But getting it was so painful. Now thanks to Plan I can get water on my doorstep at any time of day.” |
Her view is shared by the whole community and children now have time for study after school.
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