Donate A Pencil for Girls 2025: “Crossing out Child Marriage, Writing Brighter Futures”

Education is a ladder that empowers girls to reshape their futures. Yet in many developing countries, as girls enter puberty, they face a harsh crossroads of fate — child marriage or continuing their education. Every year, more than 12 million girls around the world are forced into child marriage before the age of 18. Before they can even finish their studies, they are trapped in unwanted marriages. Their childhoods are stolen, their dreams shattered. With limited autonomy, they often spiral into a cycle of poverty, early pregnancy, and domestic violence.

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Her Dreams Were Interrupted, Early Pregnancy Brought Irreversible Harm

In the crowded and chaotic slums of Bangladesh, poverty and gender inequality form twin shackles, trapping countless girls in forced marriages before they can even complete secondary school. Khadija was only 11 years old when, due to her family’s dire financial situation, she was forced to marry a  stranger. She once dreamed of gaining knowledge in the classroom—but reality cruelly pushed her to lay down her books and say goodbye to the hopeful world of school.

At just 13, with her body not yet fully developed, she became pregnant and gave birth. After her child was born, she had to devote herself entirely to caregiving, yet due to the lack of proper care and rest, her  health deteriorated, long plagued by underweight, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

Though Khadija’s dreams have been shattered and her body and spirit deeply scarred, she still holds onto a glimmer of hope in her heart: ‘I hope my daughter won’t repeat my tragedy—I hope she can stay in school and pursue her dreams.

Education Ignites Hope for Girls, Breaking the Shadow of Child Marriage

But not all stories end in despair. In another slum community, 15-year-old Borsha has found a way to reverse the fate of child marriage through the power of education. She lost her father at just five months old. Her mother, working as a cleaner, earns only 330 taka per day (about HK$21)—barely enough to feed the family. Growing up in the congested slums of Bangladesh, Borsha faced danger and discomfort daily: drug trafficking at street corners, no privacy while bathing in public spaces, and flooding that regularly submerged their home during the rainy season. But despite these hardships, she never let go of her textbooks. With grit and resilience, she clutched her pen and wrote her dreams into the pages of her future.

The threat of child marriage was ever-present. Neighbours and relatives urged her mother to marry Borsha off to ease the financial burden. But her mother stood firm, choosing to support her education and not to give up hope for her future. With support from Plan International, Borsha stayed in school and refused the fate of child marriage. Today, she ranks among the top ten students in her class. With unwavering eyes and a heart full of resolve, she marches confidently toward her dream of becoming a teacher, hoping to be a light for the girls who experience the same challenge.Borsha hopes to become a teacher and inspire more girls to pursue knowledge.

As girls in the slums face the looming threat of child marriage, your support becomes the turning point that helps them rewrite their destinies. Your donations enable Plan International to provide school fees, and learning supplies to underprivileged families in Bangladesh—easing their financial burdens and empowering more ambitious girls like Borsha to hold onto their pens, stay in school, and transform their lives through education.

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Pencils that Empower: Join Us at Malls to Protect Girls in Bangladesh from Child Marriage

This year, “Donate a Pencil for Girls” event is scheduled from 4^th September to 21^st  October 2025, to raise funds to support our education projects in Bangladesh. It aims to provide learning necessities and facilities for students while also raising awareness in the community, among parents, and youth about the harm of child marriage. It supports vulnerable girls to stay in school and reshape their future through the power of knowledge. The public is invited to show their support by purchasing and donating pencils at the malls listed below, spreading love to girls in developing countries.

Selected venues will showcase realistic recreations of slum environments, allowing the public to step into the sceneand experience the challenges faced by girls in developing countries. Visitors will also learn about the impact of child marriage on girls. As a token of appreciation, each visitor will receive a small gift after the experience!

#Exhibition*, balloon twisting, and face painting are available
#Balloon twisting opening hours: 1pm to 7pm (Friday to Sunday)
#Face painting opening hours: 1pm to 7pm
*Ceremony on 4 September 12 pm to 1pm. Exhibition and charity sales will open from 1pm to 9pm. Balloon twisting and Face painting will open from 1pm to 7pm.

Donate Pencils Online

If you are not able to support the event at the shopping malls,we warmly invite you to support the “Donate a Pencil for Girls” initiative through our online platform. By simply purchasing pencils online, you can make a meaningful impact. The funds raised will be used to provide essential educational materials for the disadvantaged students in Bangladesh.

Your pencil donation will also support our educational projects in Bangladesh, raising awareness and protecting girls from the threats of child marriage.

• Donate 10 pencils at HK$100, while also providing 1 set of education materials, including exercise books, pencils, and a calculator, for a girl in Bangladesh.
• Donate 30 pencils at HK$300, while also providing 1 set of education materials, including exercise books, pencils, and a calculator, for 3 girls in Bangladesh.
• Donate 60 pencils at HK$600, while also providing a one-month scholarship and 1 set of education materials, including exercise books, pencils, and a calculator, for 3 girls in Bangladesh.
• Donate 100 pencils at HK$1,000, while also providing a one-month scholarship and 1 set of education materials, including exercise books, pencils, and a calculator, for 5 girls in Bangladesh.

Eight corporates, including China Everbright Greentech Limited, CHYNCHEN ASSOCIATES LIMITED, Deckers Brands, Henderson Property Management Department – Team of Care, King’s Flair Development Limited, Mediterranean Shipping Company (Hong Kong) Limited, Meiriki Japan Co., Limited, SPA COLLECTION will make a matching donation to amplify the impact of your generosity*2. In other words, for every HK$100 you donate, each corporate will match an extra HK$100 donation, equivalent to HK$900 to Plan International Hong Kong! Donate now!

*1 Donors will not receive any pencils purchased. Plan International Hong Kong will arrange to send the pencils to needy students in Bangladesh.
*2 Upper limit for corporates’ match-up donation is HK$120,000, and the event runs until 24 October 2025.
*Above company names are listed in alphabetical order.
#Donate HK$100 or above is eligible for a tax-deductible receipt.

(The online pencil donation campaign has ended. Thank you for your support!)

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Last Year’s Event Highlights

All pencils collected last year were sent to children in Nepal. All donations were used to support our educational projects in Nepal to provide students with learning necessities. Thank you for your generous support—your contributions have truly made a meaningful impact!

Acknowledgment