Plan International Canada Releases 2025 "Future-Ready" Annual Report: Girls Create Tomorrow – Today
TORONTO – In a world marked by unprecedented turbulence, Plan International Canada has unveiled its 2025 Annual Report titled "Future-Ready," demonstrating how Canadian contributions achieved record-breaking impact despite mounting global instability. The report arrives during what the organization describes as one of the most challenging periods in recent history, with conflicts reaching their highest levels in decades and hard-won gains in girls' rights being systematically dismantled.
A World in Crisis: The Backdrop for Humanitarian Work
The global context presented in the report paints a sobering picture of contemporary challenges. According to the findings, conflicts have doubled compared to a decade ago, with 91% of crises now becoming protracted rather than temporary. This extended instability leaves children facing years of uncertainty rather than months, creating long-term developmental and educational disruptions.
Particularly alarming is the disproportionate impact on girls in crisis settings. The report reveals that girls in these environments are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, while also facing increased risks of early marriage, school dropout, and gender-based violence. Furthermore, more than half of the world's extreme poor now live in conflict-affected countries, compounding the challenges for vulnerable populations.
"The world feels more unpredictable than ever," stated Lindsay Glassco, president and CEO of Plan International Canada. "Girls are growing up in a world where crisis and conflict are reshaping their lives faster than the systems meant to support them can respond. We can't promise them a better world, but we can help them be ready for whatever comes next. Hope isn't a plan. Readiness is."
Canadian Impact: Reaching Millions Despite Challenges
Against this difficult backdrop, Plan International Canada – part of the global organization dedicated to advancing children's rights and equality for girls – achieved remarkable results in 2025. Canadian support enabled the organization to reach 7.9 million children worldwide, including 4.1 million girls, through comprehensive programs in education, health, humanitarian response, and protection.
The organization's work spanned multiple continents and addressed diverse needs, from returning children to classrooms to delivering life-saving supplies in conflict zones. This record reach occurred even as global aid budgets have been significantly reduced, making it increasingly difficult for communities to access essential support.
Education Initiatives: Returning Children to Learning Environments
In the education sector, Plan International Canada helped 110,000 out-of-school children in Uganda return to class, with nearly half of these being girls. The organization improved access to education through strategic investments in classrooms, clean water infrastructure, school meal programs, and menstrual-health supports – all critical components for keeping girls in school.
These educational initiatives represent a crucial investment in future stability and development, particularly in regions where conflict has disrupted traditional learning pathways.
Health and Emergency Response: Saving Lives in Critical Situations
The health component of Plan International Canada's work yielded significant results, particularly in malaria prevention. The organization distributed 6 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets across Guinea, Liberia, and Senegal – an intervention estimated to have saved approximately 6,000 children's lives.
In emergency response, the organization delivered 61 trucks of emergency supplies to Gaza and distributed 8,573 metric tons of food across four countries, reaching 675,000 people. These food and essential supplies protected children from malnutrition and illness while helping stabilize families during periods of extreme crisis.
Why This Matters for Canadians
The report emphasizes that global instability creates ripple effects that reach Canadian shores, influencing everything from the global economy and public health to community safety and migration pressures. When girls learn, lead, and thrive in their home countries, Canada benefits through increased global stability, economic opportunities, and reduced humanitarian crises.
Plan International Canada's 2025 Annual Report serves as both a documentation of achievement and a call to action, highlighting how strategic humanitarian investment can create tangible change even in the most challenging global circumstances. The "Future-Ready" approach focuses on building resilience and preparedness rather than simply responding to emergencies, representing a forward-thinking strategy for addressing complex global challenges.
