From 3rd - 9th September, I will be completing the Raid Pyrenean, raising funds for Plan International, a children’s charity, striving to advance children’s rights and welfare, and equality for girls worldwide.

Plan International recognises the power and potential of every single child, which is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. The "Because I am a Girl" campaign is a global movement that’s taking action to see a world that values girls, promotes their rights and ends injustice.

In rural Kenya, for example, many students walk distances of up to 15km to get to school on a daily basis, and girls are particularly at risk of attack. Plan International Kenya has partnered with World Bicycle Relief to donate over 1,000 bicycles to students in Kisumu County. Veronicah, a beneficiary, said: "This is a double blessing to me. Today, I have received a bicycle, which will ease the long distance I must travel to school everyday. I have also received money to pay for school fees from Plan International. This is a joyful moment." 

Plan International also continues to scale up its emergency response interventions and reputation as a significant humanitarian provider, focusing on the needs and rights of children, who are among the hardest hit.

For example, Plan International is responding directly to the needs of Syrian refugees in Egypt and is working though partners to provide assistance in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.The organisation is also deploying emergency response staff in Jordan and Turkey to prepare to assist Syrian refugees in both countries.In Germany, Plan International has started responding to refugee children in Hamburg through a partnership with humanitarian agency Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (St. John Accident Assistance).

Some statistics showing the impact that Plan International is achieving:

- 93,000 children in 50 countries sponsored through Plan International UK

- 58 million girls reached by its global Because I am a Girl campaign

- 500,000 people reached by its disasters and emergency work in 15 countries in any disaster