Plan India, part of the development and humanitarian organisation Plan International, focuses on providing access to basic education, protection, livelihood opportunities and decision-making processes to children, their families and communities. Reaching 134,684 children in 1097 schools, Plan India invests in financial education by teaching children the importance of savings through various Financial Education and Life Skills (FELS) clubs which have been opened in participating schools all around the country. Since 2014, they have been part of the Financial Education for Girls programme, supported by Credit Suisse.
Thanks to the club’s activities and the support of 2044 trained teachers, children learn not only to save money but also the importance of participating in their community development. In fact, savings are most of the time used for education and entrepreneurship initiatives, developing a participative behaviour in discussions and taking lead in activities. For example, during the 12 FELS summer camps, Plan India provided young girls with entrepreneurship skills by making sanitary pads, as well as helping them become more aware of reproductive health issues.
These particular girl-centred initiatives, among others, aim to increase their self-confidence and facilitate their transition from school to adulthood, improving their life opportunities. Following this, the organisation developed the Initiative for Quality Education (IQE) project, which has been successfully implemented in the Rajasthan region integrating another 1497 schools reaching 155,122 children, of which 82,842 girls.
