History

Plan was founded in 1937 by British journalist John Langdon-Davies and refugee worker Eric Muggeridge. Originally named ‘Foster Parents Plan for Children in Spain’, the aim was to provide food, accommodation and education to children whose lives had been disrupted by the Spanish Civil War.

Langdon-Davies conceived the idea of a personal relationship between a child and a sponsor – a model that puts the child at the centre, and today remains the core of what we do.

The idea that problems faced by many children can be reflected in the story of one child’s life helps people to see the human face of poverty – and, more importantly, see how they can help.

Since that time, our approach to humanitarian assistance has evolved from wartime relief activities, to post-war support, to long-term community development and emergency assistance that helps children, their families and their communities in developing countries.

For more than 70 years, Plan has been working with children, families and communities, and has established a long-standing reputation of being a highly ethical, effective and committed development agency.

From its roots in 1937 to today, Plan has evolved into a global organisation that directly supports more than 1,500,000 children in 50 developing countries.

Plan Europe was established with eight members in 2003. In the meantime, three further countries in Europe have joined the network; most recently Plan Europe welcomed Plan Norway as a full member.

Plan EU Office developed the ‘Just a minute!’ online campaign on maternal health for the cross-Europe Action for Global Health network. People from over 34 countries played the game within the first six months after its launch.

Plan EU Office’s unique child participation campaign ‘I have a voice!’ had up to 92,847 followers each month, and more than 1,000 children’s voices were collected and analysed on the site.

History Line Plan

1930s

In 1937, Plan was founded as ‘Foster Parents Plan for Children in Spain’ to help children whose lives were disrupted by the Spanish Civil War.

1940s

During World War II, the organisation became known as ‘Foster Parents Plan for War Children’ and worked in England, helping displaced children from all over Europe. After the war, the organisation extended aid to children in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and briefly in Poland, Czechoslovakia and China.

1950s

As Europe recovered, Plan gradually moved out of these countries and opened new programmes in less developed countries. The organisation removed the reference to war children and became ‘Foster Parents Plan Inc.’ to reflect the goal of bringing lasting change to the lives of children in need, whatever their circumstances.

1960s

Plan expanded its work in Asia and to countries in South America. In 1962, US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was honorary chairwoman during Plan’s Silver Jubilee.

1970s

The global name became ‘Plan International’ as programmes now spanned Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.

1980s

Belgium, Germany, Japan and the UK joined Canada, the US, Australia and the Netherlands as donor countries. Plan was recognised by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

1990s

Plan marked its 60th anniversary of helping children. Offices opened in France, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and the Republic of Korea.

2000s

Plan’s donor countries increased to 20 as offices opened in Colombia, India, Ireland, Hong Kong, Spain and Switzerland.
The name Plan International evolved to simply ‘Plan’ and a unified global identity was created to help make the organisation more easily recognised around the world.

The new logo was shown to sponsored children in all the regions where Plan works, and they loved the playing child and the warm sun. This image is consistent with Plan’s approach to put the child at the centre of what we do.

In 2012, Plan will celebrate its 75th anniversary.