VINCOTECH DONATES €15,000 TO “SAFER CITIES FOR GIRLS” PROJECT Plan International initiative goes to make urban life safer

2018-December - In lieu of Christmas gifts to customers we will again donate to the same worthy cause we have been supporting during the year as a reliable partner to the humanitarian organization  Plan International Deutschland that advances children's rights. Our donation of €15,000 will be used for a good cause in our and our customers’ names to make Delhi, Hanoi, and Kampala safer and more inclusive places, particularly for adolescent girls.

This project aims to afford girls safe access to public spaces so they can move around in their cities freely. It also gives young people in Delhi, Hanoi and Kampala a voice in their cities by:

• petitioning governments and policymakers to enact laws that make city services safer and more inclusive
• working with families and communities to promote girls’ safety and inclusion
• enabling young people to be agents of change in their cities and take part in local decision-making

Maike Röttger, National Director, Plan International Deutschland e.V. stated:
“For the first time in history, there are more people living in cities than in rural areas. It is expected that by 2045, six billion people will live in urban areas. The rapid urbanisation in the last decades is showing effects on cities. Today, 828 million people already live in slums. At the same time, insecurity and risks are increasing. This also effects the lives of adolescent girls in cities across the world, as they share experiences of insecurity, sexual harassment, and feelings of exclusion. Plan International’s Safer Cities for Girls programme addresses these issues and aims to build safe, accountable and inclusive cities with and for adolescent girls.
In Delhi/ India, the programme is implemented in two resettlement areas, Mangolpuri and Madanpur Khadar. Girls in these areas of the city feel unsafe and excluded. For instance, only 4% of girls involved in the baseline research said that they always feel safe when in public spaces, and 54% of girls reported experiences of sexual harassment when using transportation services.
With the generous donation of 15.000 Euros, Plan International was able to train 3,500 adolescent girls in 140 workshops on Being Safe in the City. Participants learnt about asserting their right to the city, challenging gender stereotypes and social norms, recognising gender inequality and ways to proactively speak about issues of safety and inclusion. They identified decision makers and local authorities who can support them to address the gender-based violence and insecurity they face. As part of the workshop, the girls took taking part in safety walks in their neighbourhood, analysing the safety situation based on seven principles. Based on the analysis they are developing recommendations on how to improve their neighbourhood. This includes e.g. strengthening police presence in their resettlement area, increase the network of safe houses where the adolescent girls can find support and assign budget for their use and access to parks. These recommendations are then presented to the local authorities to discuss how to address the issues.
Thank you Vincotech for empowering girls and to contribute to make cities safer for them.”

To learn more about this project, view the Safer Cities for Girls-flyer,  the Vincotech-partner-page at Plan International and http://seasonsgreetings.vincotech.net/.

The Vincotech team wishes everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and a New Year filled with peace and prosperity.