As the world commemorates the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation) call on governments, policymakers, parents, educators, healthcare providers, community and religious leaders, development partners, and other stakeholders to intensify efforts to end child marriage and invest meaningfully in the rights, health, education, safety and future of every girl.
This year’s theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights!” is a powerful reminder that every girl deserves a childhood free from harmful practices, the opportunity to learn and grow, access to appropriate healthcare, the freedom to make informed decisions about her life, and the chance to fulfil her potential.
For PLAN Foundation, this call goes beyond a day of celebration. It reflects a continuing commitment to creating communities where girls are protected, their voices are heard, their rights are respected, and their futures are not limited by discrimination, harmful social norms, poverty, inadequate information or barriers to essential services.
Every Girl Deserves More Than Protection She Deserves Opportunity
Child marriage can disrupt a girl’s education, limit her opportunities, expose her to early pregnancy and associated health risks, and restrict her ability to make decisions about her own future. Addressing this challenge requires more than awareness campaigns. It demands sustained investment in girls’ education, access to healthcare, protection from violence and harmful practices, economic opportunities, and supportive family and community environments.
PLAN Foundation recognises that empowering girls begins with ensuring they have access to accurate, age-appropriate information, supportive adults, responsive health services and opportunities to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.
Every girl deserves to understand her rights, protect her health, continue her education and pursue her aspirations without fear, stigma or discrimination. Her future should be shaped by her potential and informed choices, not by circumstances that deny her opportunities.
ACCESS Project: Advancing the Health, Rights and Choices of Girls in Oyo State
PLAN Foundation’s commitment to girls’ wellbeing is reflected in its Accelerating Community Commitment Towards Expanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Women and Girls in Oyo State (ACCESS) Project, implemented with funding support from AmplifyChange.
The ACCESS Project addresses barriers to sexual and reproductive health information and services through advocacy, stakeholder engagement, comprehensive sexuality education, youth-friendly healthcare interventions and policy dialogue. Its work recognises that girls need reliable information, supportive learning environments and accessible health services to make informed decisions and protect their wellbeing.
Through the iChoose peer educator initiative, PLAN Foundation supports young people in secondary schools to promote sexual and reproductive health awareness and encourage informed, responsible choices among their peers. The initiative forms part of broader efforts to improve access to comprehensive sexuality education and strengthen the prevention of unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion among young people.
The project also works with teachers, healthcare workers, government institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen the delivery of sexual and reproductive health education and youth-friendly services. These efforts are intended to help create environments where young people can seek appropriate information and support without unnecessary barriers.
Beyond school-based interventions, PLAN Foundation has sustained advocacy with the Oyo State House of Assembly and other stakeholders around the proposed Oyo State Unplanned Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion (Prevention and Regulation) Bill, 2025. Through these engagements, PLAN seeks to strengthen policy and institutional responses to reproductive health challenges affecting women and girls.
These interventions reflect PLAN Foundation’s conviction that investing in girls means investing in their knowledge, health, dignity, safety and ability to shape their own futures. While ending child marriage requires specific protection measures and sustained community action, access to education, reproductive health information and supportive services is also an important part of the wider effort to uphold girls’ rights.
Building Communities That Protect and Empower Girls
PLAN Foundation recognises that lasting progress requires collective responsibility. Parents and caregivers must support girls’ education and wellbeing; schools must provide safe and supportive learning environments; healthcare providers must deliver respectful and appropriate services; and policymakers must strengthen laws, policies and programmes that protect girls from harmful practices and discrimination.
Traditional and religious leaders also have important roles to play in challenging harmful social norms, promoting positive community values and supporting the rights and aspirations of girls. Development partners, civil society organisations and the media must continue to amplify girls’ voices and support evidence-based interventions that address the challenges they face.
PLAN Foundation further emphasises the importance of inclusion. Girls with disabilities and those from underserved and marginalised communities must not be left behind. Their rights, experiences and specific needs must be recognised in the design and delivery of education, healthcare, protection and empowerment programmes.
Every girl, regardless of her circumstances, deserves equal dignity, meaningful opportunities and the support needed to thrive.
PLAN Foundation’s Call to Action
On this International Day of the Girl Child, PLAN Foundation calls for:
- An end to child marriage and harmful practices: Strengthen protective measures, improve community awareness and ensure that girls are protected from practices that threaten their rights, safety and development.
- Greater investment in girls’ education: Support girls to enroll, remain in school, complete their education and pursue their ambitions.
- Accessible and appropriate healthcare: Expand access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and respectful, non-discriminatory care.
- Stronger policies and institutional commitment: Promote effective implementation of laws, policies and programmes that safeguard girls’ rights and address the barriers they face.
- Meaningful participation of girls: Listen to girls, respect their perspectives and include them in decisions that affect their education, health, safety and future.
- Inclusive opportunities for every girl: Ensure that girls with disabilities and those in underserved communities have equal access to information, services, protection and opportunities.
Our Commitment: Every Girl Matters
PLAN Foundation remains committed to advancing health, gender equality, social inclusion and community development through advocacy, strategic partnerships and community-based interventions. Through initiatives such as the ACCESS Project, the organisation continues to work with stakeholders to promote the health, rights and wellbeing of women and girls.
As we mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, PLAN Foundation reaffirms its belief that protecting girls and investing in their rights is a shared responsibility and a necessary investment in healthier families, stronger communities and a more equitable society.
Every girl deserves a future free from child marriage. Every girl deserves access to education, healthcare, dignity and opportunity. Invest in her rights. Protect her dreams. Empower her to thrive.
PLAN Foundation is a member of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), the World Patients Alliance (WPA), the International AIDS Society (IAS), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the Stop TB Partnership, the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD), the Global Health Council (GHC), as well as various other relevant regional and global networks, movements, and professional associations aligned with its vision of a Nigeria where the individual, family, and community are adequately empowered to protect themselves against poverty, underdevelopment, and the spread of diseases.
For more details on PLAN Foundation, engage us on our social media accounts on
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Ifedayo Osemwegie,
Advocacy, Strategic Communication and Media Officer,
PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation (PLAN Foundation)
+2348038320421
ifedayo@planfoundation.org.ng
