Plan International Nigeria has donated over N80 million naira to eight youth-led organisations in the 6-geopolitical zones as part of its ongoing commitment to youth development and well-being nationwide.
The Country Director, Charles Usie, announced the donation in Abuja yesterday during the organisation’s public presentation of a new country strategy (2024-2028) in celebration of its 10th anniversary in Nigeria.
Use said the grantees were selected from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through a competitive process. The eight recipients were Plan International Nigeria’s Girls Get Equal campaigners, an organisation focused on people with disabilities.
At the event, each organisation received a cheque for N10 million to implement projects that positively affect children in their respective areas.
“We are aligning our strategy with action, and today, we are supporting several youth organisations with N10 million each to go forth and make change for Nigerians, especially girls,” Usie said.
The list of beneficiaries includes Girls Get Equal Nigeria, Special Physically Challenged Care Foundation, Tomorrow is a Girl Initiative, Halima Isah Usman Charity Foundation, Open Knowledge Development Initiative, Spring of Hope for Girl Child Development, Access to Learning and School (Atlas) Initiative, and Street Mentors Network.
Plan International has operated in Nigeria for the past 10 years, affecting the lives of children, girls, women, and boys across the country.
“We have served 36.9 million people in Nigeria, directly and indirectly,” Usie said. “This is a significant milestone for us; we are proud of these achievements.”
He also highlighted the organisation’s renovation of over 120 primary healthcare centres, which have been handed over to the government. He noted that over N150 billion had been spent on various projects across Nigeria in the past decade.
“In the last 10 years, we have managed, spent, and accounted for over 180 million euros, over N150 billion. We all know the situation in Nigeria; to account for N150 billion and have none of us in the EFCC or prison is something we’re proud of.”
Usie announced the launch of a new five-year strategy (2024-2028) titled „Girls Are Empowered to Act and Drive Change,“ which aims to empower 20 million girls to learn, lead, decide, and thrive in Nigeria.
“We focus on three main areas: child development, sexual and reproductive health rights, and protection from violence. Across these six areas, we plan to invest 120 million euros to reach our target of impacting 20 million girls over the next five years,” he said.
Usie cited insecurity as one of Plan International‘s most significant challenges in Nigeria. “The state of insecurity has heavily impacted our work. For example, of the over 520 schools we’ve built or renovated, more than 50 have been destroyed by insurgencies.”
He appealed to the government to strengthen security efforts across Nigeria to protect communities, roads, and people, facilitating the organisation’s efforts. „For instance, one cannot travel by road from Maiduguri to Gwoza—a local government area just 40 minutes away—due to insecurity. Similar conditions exist in many parts of the South-South and North-East regions.”
Usie also raised concerns about the implementation of policies meant to protect children, such as the Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons Act.
“These policies prohibit all forms of violence and abuse against children, yet violations persist, such as the arrest and detention of children for three months on allegations of terrorism. While we may have improved the number of policies, our advocacy is focused on ensuring their full implementation,” he said.
Usie said, “If we fully implement the current policies, we will make significant progress.”
For his part, Dr Kole Shettima, Board Member of Plan International Nigeria, said, „I commended our donors and partners who have been on this journey with our communities across the country, who have given us their hearts, their homes, and their families to work with them.“
He said, „Plan International is in the process of becoming a national organisation. It‘s one of our dreams. In the spirit of localisation, we shall also be a local organisation so that it will now be owned, operated, and celebrated by Nigerians.“
„For the next 10 years, our goal is certainly to ensure that 13 million more girls are reached, empowered, become their own, celebrate their lives, now living in our country, working shoulder to shoulder with others, contributing towards a better world and development of our country.“
