Malala Fund
Investing in a better future for more than 130 million girls
Overview
What they do
There were more than 130 million girls out of school before COVID-19, and Malala Fund's research estimates that an additional 20 million more girls are at risk of not returning to school because of the pandemic. Malala Fund is working to break down the barriers that prevent girls from receiving an education. Through their Education Champion Network, Malala Fund invests in local educators and activists in countries where the most girls are out of school. Malala Fund also advocates for policy changes needed to get girls in school and learning.
Mission: Malala Fund champions every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education.
Why we love them: Like Malala and her father Ziauddin, education activists in Malala Fund’s Champion Network advocate tirelessly to help girls overcome the barriers keeping them out of school. Threats to girls’ education — like poverty, war and gender discrimination — differ between countries and regions. Local educators and activists understand these challenges in their communities and are best placed to identify, innovate and advocate for policy and programmatic solutions.
Girls’ education is an investment in economic growth, a healthier workforce, lasting peace and the future of our planet.
Our partnership
Partnership and impact
Pluralsight One is supporting technology skills development for Malala Fund staff as well as their Education Champions, the staff of the Champions' respective organizations, and the girls they support. In addition to providing a product grant of 640 licenses to Pluralsight’s rich content and skill-building tools, Pluralsight One is funding 5 Champions across Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan who are focused on tech-enabled solutions to girls education.
Pluralsight One supports Malala Fund's:
- Expansion of the Education Network. Each year, Malala Fund adds a new cohort of 10-13 Champions to its network.
- Existing 57 Education Champions. Malala Fund provides critical support and networking opportunities for its existing Champions, who have multi-year agreements with the Fund.
- Infrastructure and sustainable growth.
impact snapshot
Education Champions are making great strides for girls around the world
Syria region: Nayla Fahed created an e-learning program to help girls develop STEM skills and thrive in the modern job market. The Lebanese government is making this platform available to more than 10,000 students around the country.
Nigeria: As a result of Rotimi Olawale’s two-year advocacy campaign, the governor of Kaduna state in northern Nigeria passed the Child Rights Act last year. It guarantees all children in the state the right to basic education, eliminates school fees and prevents marriage under the age of 18.
Afghanistan: Through Teach for Afghanistan (TAO), education champions recruit and train female educators to increase girls' enrollment in Afghan public schools. Last year, TAO recruited and trained an all-female cohort of university graduates. TAO fellows are now teaching 10,344 students in the poorest public schools of Parwan province.
To see more regional progress, click here >
Strategy
Malala Fund organizes work under three key pillars
Investing in local education activists
Through its Education Network, they invest in local educators and advocates — the people who best understand girls in their communities — in regions where the most girls are missing out on secondary school.
Advocating to hold leaders accountable
Malala Fund advocates — at local, national and international levels — for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education.
Amplifying girls’ voices
Malala Fund believes girls should speak for themselves and tell leaders what they need to learn and achieve their potential. They amplify girls’ voices and share their stories through Assembly, its digital publication and newsletter.