Guest bloggers

As the G8 leaders sit down at Camp David this week, it is to be hoped that the attention of the world's media won't be on what they will be eating or what their partners are wearing as has happened at previous summits. If a new food security and nutrition initiative is to be announced, then this is the real story, at least for millions of people across the Sahel region currently at risk of chronic malnutrition.

It feels disingenuous to make comparisons between the financial crisis in Europe and beyond where relative to much of the world we are living like lords, and Niger where the majority of the people have no idea how lords like us live.

Fighting and refugees often generate media attention, but there is not yet the shock factor of emaciated babies to illustrate the looming food crises. To date, less than 35% of the funds needed to manage, or possibly avert, a full-scale crisis have been provided. It’s time for the world to act.

When I was 6 years old, my parents opened the door to a future I could never have imagined when they signed me up to be a sponsored child with Plan.

Tarek is 13, he has been in the shelter for few months now, and he says: “I feel secure here. I always felt that police will come anytime and arrest me. I’m starting to feel like a human being, with a life.”

Hadija is humiliated, blaming herself for taking her baby to the brink of death by not feeding him adequately. She’s unaware that there are hundreds of thousands of mothers like her in Niger – last year 300,000 children were treated for malnutrition in Niger

When I first applied to the Guardian International Development Journalism Competition, I had no idea that I would gain so much from it. I had never written a journalistic article before the competition but I love writing and am passionate about development.

There were increased efforts to make the voting process more inclusive – for example, there were mobile voting for patients at Timor-Leste’s national hospital and better opportunities for people with disabilities to vote, and of course a strong turn out from the youth of Timor-Leste, many of whom were exercising their right to vote for the very first time.

Chameli Ghalan dreaded having to entertain visitors because she was embarrassed to ask her neighbours for water to offer them. She admitted her ambivalence: “I used to wish my guests would bring water with them". The only water source nearby was a spring of dubious quality that — during the monsoon at least — fed a communal tank.

‘Tis the eve before the Presidential election in Timor-Leste. I have just returned to Dili from a week of field visits on roads that are barely ‘passable’, peppered with gaping holes that would easily swallow up my little Toyota if I were to ever attempt to go beyond the boundaries of Dili! But the rain has not dampened the spirit of the Timorese people, who are filled with anticipation about tomorrow’s vote.

The logo reminds me of 1990 when I was photographed for the first time. I remember holding my mother’s hand and smiling as the photographer clicked the camera. I treasure that day for it changed my life. I am now a qualified lawyer and am thankful to opportunities facilitated by Plan in Zimbabwe.

When I wrote back in January that we need to talk about the risk of famine in Niger, I had no idea then that an already very complex situation was about to see yet another twist in the tale develop - Rheal Drisdelle

I am in New York attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting and have just heard speeches from two remarkable young women - Maryam and Fatmata.

Something pretty extraordinary is happening this week in the life of 15-year-old Maryam. From rural Pakistan, Maryam is among nine teenage girls from developing countries who are representing Plan International at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting in New York. They'll enlighten us on how life is for girls and young women in poor rural communities.

The VSL is a tool Plan uses worldwide to help families meet the minimum needs of their children. The mechanism gets extra money in the hands of women, who are much more likely than men to use the income to feed, clothe, and school their children.

If things had worked out differently, Sallah Chibisa, 21, would now be a wife, a mother to three or four little ones and a farmer in rural Malawi, living a life of poverty with little light ahead.

When I left Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya where I grew up, I was returning 16 years later to a country I had left running for my life. I was excited to be in South Sudan again and have my dreams of getting a decent job and education abroad fulfilled.

Plan International CEO Nigel Chapman sent this blog from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he attended a special event giving a taste of life as a refugee.

Niger rarely makes the news, in Anglophone media at least. Unless, that is, there's a relative of Gaddafi in town. Ranked 186th out of 187 countries in the human development index, this forgotten corner of the world has been facing drought and the spectre of famine for years on end yet seems unable to garner those precious column inches that would help mobilise wider international action.

Plan Int. CEO Nigel Chapman sent this blog from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where child marriage on the agenda.

As Egypt’s military rulers prepare to commemorate the first anniversary of the rising with a public holiday on January 25 replete with street parties, parades and outdoor concerts, young women have little to celebrate. Unemployed youth, the shabab atileen who played a key role in the spring revolt, remain isolated and economically marginalised.

Besides Hispaniola itself - the second largest island in the Caribbean, Haiti and the Dominican Republic share one more thing in common - their seismic fault lines. As Haiti continues to make a slow recovery from the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the nation two years ago, its neighbour Dominican Republic is bracing itself to be better prepared for future disasters.

While it is understandable that millions of dollars should go to relief efforts to keep people alive and healthy, Plan argues that the amount being requested for education is too little. It is a known fact that it is crucial for children in emergency situations to be back in a school environment as soon as possible.

July 9th 2011 saw the birth of the 193rd country in the world. South Sudan officially separated from Sudan and entered the diplomatic arena under its own auspices. For many people this occasion would have passed in an instant, a few seconds of a crowded news round up.

As a so called communications professional, I always thought I understood how to get people’s attention through content. How do you ensure that you aren’t just filling virtual space with noise? I think the answer is to make people feel it. You might think that feeling it and making others feel it comes easily to charities such as Plan UK, who continually raise awareness, drive for donations and deliver millions of pounds each year to improve the lives of children.

Sitting here in Dakar, yet connected to the rest of the world through Plan International, my blessings are many. But this year, I take my inspiration from the children and sponsors with whom I have worked over the last 30 years.

When I heard that the UN had recognised the International Day of the Girl Child I held my 4 year old daughter’s hand and jumped around in excitement. As she stared up at me, I hoped that one day she will understand the significance of what we have achieved.

I was interested in reading, among the many comments that came out this week on the Durban COP, one which called COP17 the ‘Youth Summit’. Indeed it seems that young people like Cat Hudson were a driving force to pressure delegates to commit to the Durban Platform.

It’s official: Chris Huhne and I could be best friends for life. We first met a few weeks ago in London – at a Youth Climate Question Time debate at the UK Foreign Office. I worked up the nerve to ask him to promise to meet me in Durban. To my surprise, he agreed! Thankfully, he turned up.

Following Scotland's recent outlawing of forced marriage, Jasvinder Sanghera, an activist who has campaigned long and hard on the issue, explains why she believes the practice must be tackled internationally.

On World Aids Day today, George Bush is feeling brave: Embarking on a publicised HIV & AIDS safari through Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia on World AIDS day? Bush’s HIV & AIDS work is far from being the 'untarnished' legacy of his presidency.

Not many people can say they have had the privilege of breathing the same air as a political leader and a politician who seems to be a bit of a flavour of the month. I am out here in Durban, South Africa as part of the UKYCC delegation and am scheduled to hopefully meet Chris Huhne!

In a matter of a few hours, I will be boarding a plane headed to Durban, South Africa for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17). I will be joining 195 decision makers and nearly 17,000 delegates for about 10 days of serious talks about climate change.

Kiran Flynn, 20, is the winner of the Amateur Guardian Global Development Journalism Award. As one of the shortlisted entrants, she was given the opportunity to visit Plan projects in Bangladesh to report on the topic of early and forced marriage.

Mohamed Kamal is Youth Media Adviser with Plan Egypt. He visited the UK recently and talked about how Egypt is changing after the Arab Spring - and how Plan is making a difference to the country's future.

Tehseen Mirza handed over 2,000 pledges from the Youth Climate Network's One Step campaign to the UK Government's Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne.

Following the recent Spectator aid debate, Plan UK’s Governance Programme Manager, Caitlin Porter, highlights the need for aid which strengthens the accountability of governments to its citizens.

Arielle Garton, from our Corporate Partnerships team recently travelled to Tanzania to visit some of Plan's exciting projects in Kisaware and Kibaha. She tells us about Plan’s work to improve access to clean, safe water in Tanzania, with the support of our partners.

"Is it right to engage with the sister event of a TV reality show that some regard as having a negative impact on girls’ body image and self esteem when others believe that modelling can be a positive choice providing opportunity for girls?" Our Director of Advocacy, Campaigns and Communications discusses Plan's new partnership with Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model Live.

I am planning to start a Masters degree in environmental management and risk this year. So, instead of reading about the effects of drought and food shortages in a textbook or journal, I found that going on this trip with my mum, to visit our sponsored child in Kenya, allowed me to see the real consequences of these issues.

For us working in DRR, it has been heart breaking to witness the ongoing unnecessary casualties and preventable suffering by those on the frontline of disasters, and to swallow the sad reality that, the majority of the affected are girls and boys.

Youssef lives with his mother and 15-year-old sister - he's part of a youth group that helps to rescue girls from forced marriages. "A few years ago I was in school with a girl called Jasmeen. She was forced to marry her cousin when she was 14. She had no idea her family were planning this. At the time I remember feeling that I wanted to do something to help Jasmeen.

We had joined our colleagues in Zimbabwe to be part of their 25th anniversary celebrations. Plan Zimbabwe started in Mutare in 1986 and we joined 5,000 children – it must have taken two hours for them all to file in from each corner of the field, waving and smiling - at a high school for a day of song, dance, speeches, and reflection on achievements.

I have just got back from the opening ceremony of the child friendly spaces that Plan has set-up in Thatta District in the flood-affected Sindh province in Pakistan.

It felt like there was a rather large elephant in the room at Labour party conference this week in the form of their development policy review. Over the past few months, key players in the party have been putting their heads together with NGOs, academics and others to formulate a paper on what, were they to win the next election, the party’s priorities for development would be.

Max Baldwin, Plan's Humanitarian Grants Advisor talks about returning to Pakistan, following the recent floodings. I’m catching up with colleagues on life events and family stories who I haven’t seen for the past year. Of course, the last time we were all together approximately 12 months ago for the 2010 flooding which was unprecedented in its scale and affected the entire country.

In response to the question of whether there is a distinctive Liberal Democrat voice on international affairs, the fairly robust answer from Lord Ashdown was no, “but there bloody well ought to be”. The former party leader was speaking at a fringe meeting organised by a coalition of development charities.

Virginia Saiz Gomis from Plan Egypt talks about how youth packed into Cairo’s main square to help change the path of history and their country. These are the same youth that had been dismissed by all the experts as “passive”. The experts were wrong, and this same youth who grew tired of waiting decided to take their future into their own hands.

The fishing communities on Lakes George and Edward experience a HIV prevalence rate of over four times the national average - up to 34% and counting. The distances involved between the fishing communities affected and the HIV prevention and treatment options they need can be a real killer. Arriving at Kahendero fishing village on the shore of Lake George in western Uganda brings us back to earth, fast...

My name is Candice Nanque and I am 12 years old. I live in Guinea Bissau, in a small village in the countryside with my my parents who are farmers. Because of what happened to my friend, I decided to volunteer when the man and woman came from Plan and offered a first aid course.

In the UK, many students are finding out if they have got into the university of their choice. What is certain is that once again girls have outperformed boys in virtually every subject. When I used to tell my colleagues in Tanzania that in the UK girls do better than boys, they didn’t believe me.

The day was interrupted by a sudden meeting called by Keya, who had taken over a HR manager. She wanted all the staff to meet other staff from different floors but in the end it turned out to be a surreal experience with people dancing to ‘Single Ladies’ and ‘I Predict a Riot’!

As a strong believer in positive and meaningful participation, I’m disheartened by the high number of young people getting involved in the recent riots. Riots are not a positive way of getting your voice heard.

“Child Marriage Free”. These were the words on a hand-written poster on a school wall in the small village of Laxmipur, just outside Bangladesh’s sprawling capital of Dhaka. 14 year old Fatima is proudly showing me this poster, explaining how she has worked hard towards achieving this powerful declaration.

As the situation in East Africa reaches media headlines across the world, the obvious questions are popping up: How could this be happening again? How could this not have been prevented? Why are we going back to the 1980s, with famine reaching such large scale, affecting 11.6 million people?

Nathan is a member of the Youth Climate Network, supported by Plan UK. The network is running a campaign called "One Step", encouraging people across the country to pledge to take one simple step to fight climate change. He tells us why younger generations are key in campaigning against climatic and biodiversity threats.

In times of serious economic hardship, such as during droughts, a common issue is early marriage. Families may consider marrying off their daughters at a young age. “They may need the bride price; It’s also one less person to feed, and the parents may feel they’re offering their child more security,” says Leulseged Begashaw, Plan’s Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator.

I round a corner and there is Yoseph. I met him on Monday, hobbling in pain due to malnutrition. Today, his gaunt face is wide and smiling. He’s just received his latest supplies. "Today is a good day”, he tells me.

We’re in Southern Ethiopia, at a food distribution centre where Plan is working. Some of the children I met here were so weak that they could barely answer my questions. While others in the crowd waiting for food supplies were shouting and talking, they sat silently on the ground, staring at the soil.

We’re delighted that our newest member in six years is Plan UK, a global children’s charity whose approach to emergencies is very much child-centered.

Three months on, Tom Parry discusses why Japan is in a better position than Haiti one year on and probably a decade on. "That seems to me a good enough reason to ensure the aid budget in countries like Britain does not get significantly reduced. Only a handful of countries around the world have the same resources as Japan to deal with their own disasters."

Today marks the 16th Day of the African Child celebrated on June 16th. This year is designated to raise awareness for the plight of street children across Africa. Paul Fagnon, our child rights specialist in West Africa, tells us about Plan's work in protecting street children.

My story of sponsorship may seem to some a little unremarkable, but I am of the view that every sponsor’s story is remarkable. Filled with countless moments of joy, like a secret box of jewels, child sponsorship by its very nature can be nothing less.

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers are making across the UK today. What better time to ask two of our lovely colleagues - Iona and Wiktoria - about their experiences with us and what they've enjoyed the most.

To mark World No Tobacco Day, Macdonald Mumba from our Malawi office tells us about child labour in the tobacco industry and how this is on the decline with the introduction of anti-trafficking and educational programmes from Plan and partner organisations.

Kelly Hawrylyshyn, DRR Advisor at Plan UK, attended the recent global UN conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. She tells us about the two Filipino young people who participated in the event and illustrated the importance of involving children in decisions affecting their future.

Human - specifically children - trafficking is one of the biggest problems in Nepal. It is estimated that between 5 and 7 thousand women and children are trafficked from Nepal and in to prostitution every year.

Today marks nine years of independence for Timor-Leste. Plan Timor Leste's Gashaw Dagnew tells us how far the country has come since independence and the challenges ahead.

Plan Pakistan's Country Director Haider Yaqub, tells us why international aid to the country must continue in order to deal with either social injustice or its consequence: insecurity.

On the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone’s independence, Janette Garber, Supporter Relations Officer for Plan UK, looks at the challenges for the education system in the country.

Dickies Mwera is currently taking part in Plan’s ‘Make the Link Climate Exchange’ project and tells us about the effects of climate change in his country.

Dr Susanne Sargeant from the British Geological Survey discusses the need for the countries most at-risk of natural disasters, to invest in long-term disaster resilience and preparedness.

Craig Dean, the DRM Information and Research Coordinator for Plan International, shares his thoughts following the launch of the 2011 Sphere Handbook.

Tom Parry, Daily Mirror journalist and published travel writer, has covered many stories in the developing world. He has witnessed Plan’s work first-hand to help some of the world’s poorest children. Tom reports from Japan