Plan in Asia

Plan is present in Asia in the following countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Situation in the region

The Asian region is on track to achieve a number of great improvements, including halving poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity at all levels of education. However these results are heavily influenced by the remarkable achievements of China and India in poverty reduction and are in fact in contrast with the social and economic deprivation in the region.

Two thirds of Asians, a total of 1.5 billion people, still lack access to basic sanitation. The region is home to roughly three times as many underweight children and people living on less than $1 a day as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America combined. The region also has more TB patients and deaths than the other two regions. The vulnerable, particularly children, have also been negatively affected by disasters that have continued to plague the region, including several major earthquakes and floods.

Although public schools often offer free tuition fees, the rising costs of transportation, food, uniform, books and school supplies are contributing to make education unaffordable for many families.

In the areas where Plan works, about a third of children aged 0-3 are malnourished, almost the same proportion are not fully immunised, and only five in every 100 children aged 0-5 benefit from early childhood care and development activities.

Plan's work in the region

Worked to ensure children grow up healthy, stay in school and are prepared for higher education. Plan put emphasis on keeping children in school, helping them complete primary level, and learn effectively by reducing malnutrition, training teachers, and updating teaching methods.

Improved access to healthcare and reduced the incidence of preventable diseases. Plan encouraged environments where proper hygiene and sanitation practices are adopted, trained parents on recognising the first signs of the diseases and ensured more families have access to sustainable water and sanitation systems.

Assisted families to improve availability of food at home through vegetable gardens, promoted the use of low cost and environmentally sustainable farming technologies

Provided access to financial services and supported employable vocational skills training for out-of-school youth.

Continued to strengthen the capacity of children, their families, communities and state institutions on disaster risk reduction and disaster management; and responded to disasters through emergency response efforts focusing on children and their families.

Strengthened child-friendly governance at village and municipal levels. Advocated for the participation of children in these community processes to make sure their voices are taken into account in community decision-making.

Promoted universal birth registration for all children in the region in collaboration with other international and regional organisations.

Provided girls and boys with knowledge on sexual reproductive health, STDs and HIV/Aids. In Indonesia Plan supported the establishment of "Drop-in Centres"

with learning activities for commercially and sexually exploited children and vulnerable girls and boys.