The Malala Fund

MALALA FUND IS WORKING TOWARD A WORLD WHERE ALL GIRLS CAN LEARN FOR 12 YEARS AND LEAD WITHOUT FEAR.

FOUNDED BY MALALA AND ZIAUDDIN YOUSAFZAI IN 2013, WE CHAMPION EVERY GIRL'S RIGHT TO 12 YEARS OF FREE, SAFE, QUALITY EDUCATION. TOGETHER WITH OUR BOARD, LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, DONORS, STAFF, CHAMPIONS AND GIRL ACTIVISTS, MALALA FUND IS CREATING A MORE EQUAL WORLD BY MAKING SURE ALL GIRLS CAN GO TO SCHOOL. THIS FISCAL YEAR, MALALA FUND AWARDED $9.7 MILLION IN GRANTS TO ORGANISATIONS IN 12 COUNTRIES. WE DISBURSED FUNDS THROUGH OUR CORE INITIATIVES, THE EDUCATION CHAMPION NETWORK AND GIRL PROGRAMME, WHILE ALSO SETTING UP OUR NEW AFGHANISTAN INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE AND DIGITAL LEARNING PROGRAMMES FOR AFGHAN GIRLS WHILE THEIR SECONDARY EDUCATION IS BANNED. ADDITIONAL GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO KEY PARTNERS FOCUSED ON ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT GIRLS' ACCESS TO EDUCATION. (SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION)INVESTING IN EDUCATION ADVOCATES AND ACTIVISTS:MALALA FUND INVESTS IN THE WORK OF EDUCATORS, ADVOCATES AND ACTIVISTS TO HELP MORE GIRLS GO TO AND COMPLETE SCHOOL IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRIES. THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE AWARDED $9.7 MILLION IN GRANTS - THE MAJORITY OF WHICH WENT TO EDUCATORS AND ADVOCATES THROUGH OUR EDUCATION CHAMPION NETWORK, AND TO GIRL ACTIVISTS AND GIRL- AND WOMEN-LED GROUPS THROUGH OUR GIRL PROGRAMME. WE WELCOMED 12 NEW EDUCATION CHAMPIONS LEADING INITIATIVES RANGING FROM DELIVERING QUALITY EDUCATION TO GIRLS IN CLIMATE VULNERABLE AREAS TO PUSHING FOR NATIONAL POLICIES TO GUARANTEE 12 YEARS OF FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL. SOME OF OUR CHAMPIONS' COUNTRY-LEVEL ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE OUTLINED BELOW:AFGHANISTAN: OUR PARTNERS PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE AND DIGITAL LEARNING PROGRAMMES FOR GIRLS BANNED FROM SECONDARY SCHOOL AND RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS OF GENDER APARTHEID IN AFGHANISTAN. LEARN PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE THAN 300 GIRLS AGED 13-18. THE ORGANISATION RUNS UNDERGROUND SCHOOLS IN TWO PROVINCES AND PROVIDES DIGITAL PLATFORMS TO TEACH GIRLS CORE CURRICULUM SUBJECTS AND DIGITAL SKILLS. GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN ARE FACING IMMENSE TRAUMA AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES FROM BEING DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS. WOMEN AND CHILDREN LEGAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION (WCLRF) PROVIDES ONLINE EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SUPPORT THROUGH LIVE GROUP COUNSELLING SESSIONS FOR CLOSE TO 400 ADOLESCENT GIRLS ACROSS THREE FOUR PROVINCES. WCLRF ALSO OFFERS OFFLINE EDUCATIONAL AND COUNSELLING RESOURCES FOR GIRLS WHILE THEY ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. BANGLADESH: OUR PARTNERS EXPAND ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN REGIONS WITH HIGH RATES OF POVERTY, CHILD MARRIAGE AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE. THEY ALSO WORK IN CLIMATE VULNERABLE AREAS TO ENSURE GIRLS CAN CONTINUE TO LEARN WHEN EXTREME WEATHER DISRUPTS SCHOOL. DISABLED REHABILITATION AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (DRRA) ESTABLISHED DIGNITY CORNERS STOCKED WITH MENSTRUAL HYGIENE PRODUCTS AND PROVIDED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SESSIONS FOR MORE THAN 1,050 ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN SCHOOLS IN KHULNA DIVISION, A COASTAL AREA PRONE TO CLIMATE DISASTERS. AS A RESULT OF DRRA'S EFFORTS, TWO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES ALLOCATED BUDGETS TO IMPROVE MENSTRUAL MANAGEMENT PROVISIONS IN SCHOOLS. FRIENDS IN VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT BANGLADESH (FIVDB) PROVIDED REMEDIAL EDUCATION TO 240 ADOLESCENT GIRLS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL AMONG MARGINALISED, ISOLATED TEA GARDEN COMMUNITIES IN SYLHET DIVISION, WHERE GIRLS HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO MAINSTREAM EDUCATION. PARTICIPATING STUDENTS INCREASED THEIR TEST SCORES IN BENGALI, ENGLISH AND MATHEMATICS BY AN AVERAGE OF 40%. DESPITE INITIAL RESISTANCE FROM THE COMMUNITY, FIVDB ALSO ORGANISED THE TEA GARDENS' FIRST EVER GIRLS' FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT. THROUGH FOOTBALL, GIRLS DEVELOPED COMMUNICATION, DECISION-MAKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, ALL WHILE HAVING FUN AND CHALLENGING GENDER STEREOTYPES.BRAZIL: OUR PARTNERS SUPPORT BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND QUILOMBOLA GIRLS FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES AND POOR URBAN AREAS TO ACCESS QUALITY EDUCATION. THEY ALSO ADVOCATE FOR ANTI-RACIST, INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS AND TO EXPAND NATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDING. GRUPO CURUMIM USES ESSAY CONTESTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN PERNAMBUCO STATE TO SPARK DISCUSSIONS ON TOPICS SUCH AS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE, SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS (SRHR) AND RACISM, REACHING MORE THAN 600 GIRLS. YOUNG WOMEN FROM GRUPO CURUMIM TEACH GIRLS ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND TRAIN TEACHERS AND SCHOOL MANAGERS TO SUPPORT GIRLS IN CRAFTING THEIR ESSAYS. THIS APPROACH HELPS CHANGE EDUCATORS' ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS TOWARDS THESE ISSUES. TO FURTHER ENGAGE STUDENTS, THEY BRING BATUCADA A GROUP OF GIRLS WHO PLAY THE DRUMS, SING AND RECITE POEMS ABOUT WOMEN AND GIRLS' RIGHTS TO PERFORM AT THE SCHOOLS. CAMPANHA NACIONAL PELO DIREITO EDUCAO PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN ORGANISING THE NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN JANUARY 2024, ONE OF THE MAIN POLITICAL SPACES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRAZIL'S NEW 10-YEAR NATIONAL EDUCATION PLAN. CAMPANHA'S WORK RESULTED IN A FINAL DOCUMENT TO GUIDE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FUND FOR MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION AND VALUING EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS (FUNDEB) AND THE PROMOTION OF RACIAL EQUITY AS A PILLAR OF EDUCATION DELIVERY. FUNDEB, A GOVERNMENT FUND REPRESENTING 40% OF BRAZIL'S PUBLIC EDUCATION BUDGET, MAKES SURE MARGINALISED SCHOOLS GET THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS.ETHIOPIA: OUR PARTNERS SUPPORT GIRLS IN REBUILDING THEIR LIVES AND COMPLETING SCHOOL AFTER THE CONFLICT IN TIGRAY. THEY ALSO WORK IN OTHER REGIONS TO MAKE SCHOOLS MORE INCLUSIVE AND ADDRESS OBSTACLES THAT KEEP GIRLS FROM LEARNING INCLUDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION. ROOTS AND WINGS CONVERTED TEXTBOOKS INTO SIGN LANGUAGE VIDEOS FOR MORE THAN 500 DEAF STUDENTS IN ADDIS ABABA AND RAN SIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR TEACHERS TO BETTER SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS. TO HELP SUPPORT DEAF GIRLS TO CAMPAIGN FOR THEIR RIGHTS, ROOTS AND WINGS HELPED CREATE THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR PARENTS OF DEAF CHILDREN OF ETHIOPIA AND ARE SUPPORTING GIRLS TO CREATE A DEAF STUDENTS ASSOCIATION. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ACTION (WE-ACTION) DEVELOPED THE GENDER SAFE SCHOOL BILL TO CREATE SAFE AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR GIRLS, PARTICULARLY TO COMBAT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND FOSTER GENDER EQUALITY IN SCHOOLS. CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTED IN SELECTED SCHOOLS IN AMHARA, THE BILL INCLUDES SEVEN KEY DECLARATIONS AND ACTIONS FOR SCHOOLS TO UNDERTAKE. WE-ACTION AIMS FOR THE BILL TO BE MADE INTO LAW AND ROLLED OUT ACROSS ETHIOPIA. NIGERIA: INITIATIVE FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT (YOUNG LEADERS NETWORK) ADVOCATED FOR ADOPTING THE NATIONAL POLICY FOR SCHOOL SAFETY AND VIOLENCE-FREE SCHOOLS IN BAUCHI STATE, ONE OF THE STATES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NIGERIA. THE POLICY BECAME A KEY FOCUS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION'S TENURE, AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT STARTED IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL SAFE SCHOOL PLAN, WHICH OUTLINES MEASURES TO PROVIDE SAFE LEARNING AND TEACHING ENVIRONMENTS. OYO AND GOMBE STATES ARE WORKING TO INCORPORATE INVICTUS AFRICA'S GENDER RESPONSIVE EDUCATION BUDGETING FRAMEWORK INTO VARIOUS PHASES OF THEIR EDUCATION BUDGETS. THE FRAMEWORK HELPS POLICYMAKERS ADDRESS GENDER INEQUALITIES IN EDUCATION BY ENSURING THAT THEY CONSIDER GENDER IN ALL STEPS OF THE BUDGET PROCESS. IT ALSO OUTLINES ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE GIRLS' ENROLMENT AND COMPLETION RATES. PAKISTAN: OUR PARTNER DURBEEN COLLABORATED WITH THE SINDH GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP THE LANDMARK SINDH TEACHING LICENCE POLICY. DURBEEN'S ADVOCACY HELPED SINDH BECOME THE FIRST PROVINCE IN PAKISTAN TO REQUIRE NEW GOVERNMENT TEACHERS TO BE PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED TO TEACH. QUALIFIED TEACHERS ARE CRITICAL TO MAINTAIN HIGH EDUCATION STANDARDS AND PROVIDE INCLUSIVE, SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR GIRLS. BEDARI TRAINED 220 TEACHERS FROM 110 GIRLS' SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN VEHARI, PUNJAB, ON COUNSELLING SKILLS TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS DEAL WITH PERSONAL CHALLENGES LIKE THEIR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS. BEDARI'S TRAINING WAS SO EFFECTIVE THAT THE PUNJAB GOVERNMENT ASKED THEM TO ESTABLISH DISTRICT-WIDE CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEES, EACH CONSISTING OF TWO TRAINED TEACHERS, IN GIRLS' SECONDARY SCHOOLS. THE COMMITTEES COUNSEL AND ASSIST STUDENTS, AND ESCALATE CASES OF STREET AND CYBER HARASSMENT AND CHILD MARRIAGE TO COMMITTEES AT THE ASSISTANT EDUCATION OFFICER LEVEL WHEN NECESSARY.