After the concerts in the summer of 2005, millions of people showed they cared about world poverty, supporting global campaigns by calling on the G8 to make real commitments to the world’s poorest and helping to bring them to the front line of political debate. Plan UK took a group of young people from Malawi, Kenya and the UK to Gleneagles where they shared with leaders their experience of being an AIDS orphan or a girl struggling for an education in Africa.

By working together with children and young people, communities, supporters, schools and partner organisations, we can make change happen, even at the highest levels.

It was at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto last summer that Plan youth delegates showed that young people across the world are affected by HIV/AIDS today, will live with its consequences tomorrow and should have the greatest stake in HIV prevention.

Events in Asia, Pakistan, Malawi, Niger, and Central America last year reminded us of the impact of disasters on poor countries and showed us how they can disrupt community development. Plan not only responded to these emergencies, but worked with children and young people in the reconstruction process and in preparing them for any potential future disasters. This is a long-term objective, building on our grassroots work in communities, and is not simply an extension of humanitarian and relief interventions.

Children’s participation was also at the centre of a successful and award winning play, ‘Finding Marina’. The show reached last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It told the story of lost innocence amid Sri Lankan’s ethnic divide through dance and cultural costume, addressing young people’s experiences of suicide bombings, violent oppression and mass rape.

Last year we used our expertise in influencing governments and other key players at local, national and international level. As part of a number of international coalitions, we collaborated with other organisations to advocate for the elimination of child poverty and the promotion of children’s rights. These coalitions include Grow Up Free From Poverty, Global Campaign for Education, Global Movement for Children, BUILD, the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Working Group, the Inter-Agency Group for Rights-Based Approaches and the UK Aid Network. Together we worked with the UK government which made a commitment to social protection as one of the key strands of basic services that it will provide to poor countries; together with free education and healthcare.

The response of our supporters and donors to last year’s events has been remarkable. More than ever before individuals, corporations, trusts and foundations have entrusted us with their money, strong in the knowledge that we are as accountable to them, as to the children and communities we work with on long-term solutions about the issues they face.

Our commitment to accountability and transparency has been recognised nationally. We were awarded the ‘Top 100 UK fundraising charities’ at the ‘Charities Online Accounts Awards,’ a credit to our effort in not only complying with accounting rules, but also in communicating effectively the impact of our work and valuing the trust placed on us by our supporters.

Clear evidence of our impact has led to several new trusts and companies supporting Plan UK’s work this year. DfID selected Plan as one of a small number of agencies for a Programme Partnership agreement, funding our work with children and young people in changing the attitudes and behaviours of their communities, local authorities and ultimately their governments, and in linking them worldwide.

Thanks to the support of individuals who last year decided to sponsor children through Plan UK, our efforts in creating lasting change in the lives of many thousands of children around the world through our long-term child-centred community development work have raised more money, implemented more programmes and reached more children and their families.

With your continued support we will harness everyone’s efforts in the fight against global poverty, working with young people and communities and facilitating change for children well into the future. This report describes the year’s work and some of its impact.

Marie Staunton
Plan UK Chief Executive