Because I am a Girl

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 70% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, and food insecurity and malnutrition are widespread. When there’s scarcity like this, children and women fare the worst, and girls are the most likely to go without. When it comes to food, girls are three times as likely to be malnourished than boys, and women are more likely to be malnourished than men – which only compounds the problem for children, who are carried, cared for and fed by women.

To address the devastating effects of malnutrition on children and girls, and on pregnant and breastfeeding women, Plan has partnered with the United Nations World Food Programme to implement a nutritional support program that reached more than 65,000 girls and 12,000 women and their children in just three months.

One aspect of this project includes a component that gives girls essential food items to take home, such as cooking oils or grains, when they attend 80% of their classes. These take-home rations improve food security at home and act as an additional incentive for families to keep their daughters in school.

Thanks to Plan's school- and clinic-based food distribution program, those most likely to suffer from malnutrition are getting the support they need to stay healthy, so they can grow up strong, get an education, earn a living and make a life for themselves and their families.