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TravelRebel and Plan International

Travel Rebel’s Charlotte talks about the importance of education, gender equality, and her recent trip to Senegal

Charlotte, 28, is the founder of TravelRebel, a multimedia blog that highlights sustainable travel and female entrepreneurship. In November 2019, she traveled from Belgium to Senegal with Plan International to get to know more about the education system and our projects there that aim to provide girls more opportunities. Goal: to encourage policymakers to invest more in inclusive and quality education for girls and boys in our partner countries. In this way we can break the vicious circle of poverty and give these young people and future generations a better future. Here, she converses with us about the insights she garnered during her trip.


“My aim with TravelRebel is not only to ensure that people travel more sustainably, but also to put female entrepreneurship in the spotlight. It is very important to me that girls and women have a voice, and certainly women in the business world. All this is possible thanks to education.”

Plan International Mission Senegal with TravelRebel

Need of the hour

“Girls and women face obstacles all over the world. Especially in developing countries, the deep-rooted traditions and cultural norms ensure that girls are pushed and kept in a subordinate role. When the family does not have enough resources, girls are often kept at home to do housework, married off much too young, made to undergo harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and so on. All of this means that not only them, but also their children, are denied a good future. Education, on the other hand, ensures that girls and young women can stand on their own feet and not have to depend on a man. That is why it is so important that enough is invested in inclusive and high-quality education for girls and equal opportunities for both girls and boys. Plan International takes a pioneering role in this. By giving girls and boys access to inclusive and high-quality education and by engaging in conversation with all those involved, they strive for a better future for children and young people, and specifically for girls.”

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Fiscal independence

“Not only is classical education (as we know it) important, but so is technical education. Here, for example, young people things like learn sewing or cooking, and so on. When they do something that they like and are good at, it gives them more confidence. At the same time they can generate an income, which increases their independence. That is why I think it is pertinent to support local entrepreneurs, because this way you can help them become independent. They can earn their own income, which not only benefits themselves, but also their children and the generations to come. This is also a huge reason why I chose to work with Plan International Belgium.”

 ‘Champions of Change’ from Plan International Senegal.

Young, powerful voices

“What really inspired me was the meeting with the ‘Champions of Change’ from Plan International Senegal. These are young people, both girls and boys, who are ambassadors for equal rights. They stand up for their rights and raise awareness among young people, parents, communities, and authorities about the importance of equal rights for girls and boys. It was great to see how these young people found a voice and how passionate they are. Despite the various obstacles they face, they continue to cherish hope and use their voice for a better future.”

Fighting the good fight

“It is crucial to realize that equality between girls and boys cannot be taken for granted. Access to inclusive and quality education is not obvious. While the right to education is normal for us, this is not the case for many children and young people. Many have to fight for this right. It is therefore important that we continue to emphasize this so that this right can become a reality everywhere. So what can you do? For starters, sign the Plan International petition. Keep conversing about these issues, gain insight and knowledge, and support projects related to education and gender equality. We can all contribute to a better future.”

Senegal Plan International mission with influencer Charlotte Noël
Senegal - Women entrepreneur - support local entrepreneurs

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