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We Invest in Girls

Your support empowers girls through education

to achieve their potential and be agents

of positive change in their communities.

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Watch Sheryl Sandberg in Conversation with Malala

#StrongerThan

On Malala Day 2014, you stood with Malala and declared that together we are #StrongerThan fear, oppression and poverty.

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Malala's Remarks on Nobel Peace Prize

Malala reacts to being awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Kailash Satyarthi

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I raise my voice not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard

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Why Malala Fund?

Without education girls are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

66 Million

Girls are out of school around the world.

Every 3 Seconds

A girl becomes a child bride.

4 out of 5

Victims of human trafficking are girls.

Inspired and led by Malala's example, the Malala Fund works to break the cycle of poverty and empower girls through education.
What We Do

The Malala Fund’s Integrated Approach Consists of 3 pillars to empower girls through education:

We Amplify

the voices of the girls to keep them in the spotlight, inspire girls globally and drive action on girls’ issues by the global community.

We Advocate

at the international, national and local level for policy and system changes that give girls access to a high quality education at a community level.

We Invest

in community centered scalable solutions that provide quality education with potential for systems level change by empowering local leaders and educators.
Who We Support

The Malala Fund invests in early stage or small organizations that are led by local leaders. We make grants that help organizations scale their impact to lead to systems level change in the country. We believe in the power of local leaders and entrepreneurs and aim to support and amplify their work through our partnerships.

Pakistan

The Malala Fund currently funds work providing quality education and communities of support to girls who were in exploitive child domestic labor.

Nigeria

We support "safe space" projects for schoolgirls and provide mentoring and support to girls who were married young and have no opportunity to go to school.

Jordan

Informal education programs engage Syrian refugee children in Northern Jordan who have dropped out of school or are at risk of dropping out of the learning process completely.

Kenya

The Malala Fund works with partners to provide funding for school expansion and infrastructure so more girls can receive quality education.

We believe in the power of advocacy to mobilize resources at scale.

Our initial advocacy work also includes supporting the Global Partnership for Education replenishment of $4 billion to get all children into school, the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in Nigeria, and the launching of the youth resolution at the United Nations.
In the Community

Photos from our work with Syrian Refugees in Jordan, schools in Kenya, and girls in Nigeria.

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Nigeria

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Malala was born on 12 July 1997, in Mingora, the Swat District of north west Pakistan. She was named Malala, after Malalai, the famous Pashtun Heroine.

(swipe or click arrows to continue)

Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai is a poet, and runs a public school. He is a leading educational advocate himself. In 2009, Malala began writing an anonymous blog for the BBC expressing her views on education and life under the threat of the Taliban taking over her valley.

During this period, the Taliban’s military hold on the area intensified. As the Taliban took control of the area they issued edicts banning television, banning music, and banning women from going shopping and limiting women’s education.

Read Malala's Blog

A climate of fear prevailed and Malala and her father began to receive death threats for their outspoken views. As a consequence, Malala and her father began to fear for their safety. After the BBC blog ended, Malala was featured in a documentary made for The New York Times. She also received greater international coverage and was revealed as the author of the BBC blog.

In 2011, she received Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and she was nominated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for the International Children’s Peace Prize. Her increased profile and strident criticism of the Taliban caused Taliban leaders to meet, and in 2012, they voted to kill her.

On 9 October, 2012, a masked gunman entered her school bus and asked for Malala by name.

Malala was shot with a single bullet which went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two of her friends were also injured in the attack.

Malala survived the initial shooting, but was in a critical condition.

She was later moved to Birmingham in the United Kingdom for further treatment at a specialist hospital for treating military injuries. She was discharged on January 3, 2013 and moved with her family to a temporary home in the West Midlands. It was a miracle she was alive.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Yousafzai was a symbol of the infidels and obscenity. However, other Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwa against the Taliban leaders and said there was no religious justification for shooting a schoolgirl.

Her assassination attempt received worldwide condemnation and protests across Pakistan. Over 2 million people signed the Right to Education campaign. The petition helped lead to the ratification of Pakistan’s first right to education bill.

Her shooting, and her refusal to stand down from what she believed was right, brought to light the plight of millions of children around the world who are denied an education today.

Malala became a global advocate for the millions of girls being denied a formal education because of social, economic, legal and political factors.

She started the Malala Fund to bring awareness to the social and economic impact of girls’ education and to empower girls to raise their voices, to unlock their potential, and to demand change.

Join Malala
Who We Are

Malala Yousafzai

Co-Founder

Malala is an education activist and the co-founder of the Malala Fund. She was born in 1997 and grew up in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan. Read Malala's Story.

Ziauddin Yousafzai

Co-Founder

Ziauddin, Malala's father, is the co-founder of the Malala Fund. An educator and social activist, he is the U.N. Special Advisor on Global Education and the Educational Attache at the Pakistani Consulate in Birmingham, UK.

Shiza Shahid

Co-Founder

Shiza is a Pakistani social entrepreneur and activist, who previously served as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company She was recently named on of TIME Magazine's 30 Under 30 World Changers and to Forbes 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs.

Meighan Stone

Interim-CEO

Meighan served previously as Vice President of Communications and Special Projects at World Food Program USA. She has also worked on high-level projects with Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum, FIFA World Cup and Bono's ONE Campaign.

Eason Jordan

Director, Operations and Communications

Eason previously led the digital news network Now This News and the public opinion news service Poll Position. Jordan played a key role at CNN, serving as Chief News Executive and President of Newsgathering and International Networks.

PJ Kadzick

Program Coordinator

PJ worked with the Girl Up campaign at the United Nations Foundation before joining the Malala Fund. He is a graduate of Colgate University with a degree in Political Science.
Malala Day 2014

"I call upon the Nigerian government to protect these students, girls and boys who are suffering from terrorism. Bring home the girls who were kidnapped with no excuses"
Connect with Malala

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We Invest in Girls

Your support empowers girls through education to achieve their potential and be agents of positive change in their communities.

#StrongerThan

On Malala Day 2014, you stood with Malala and declared that together we are #StrongerThan fear, oppression and poverty.

Malala's Remarks on Nobel Peace Prize

Malala reacts to being awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Kailash Satyarthi

Join the Movement

Join Malala

I raise my voice not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard

Why Malala Fund?

Without education girls are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

66 Million

Girls are out of school around the world.

Every 3 Seconds

A girl becomes a child bride.

4 out of 5

Victims of human trafficking are girls.

Inspired and led by Malala's example, the Malala Fund works to break the cycle of poverty and empower girls through education.

What We Do

The Malala Fund’s Integrated Approach Consists of 3 pillars to empower girls through education:

We Amplify

the voices of the girls to keep them in the spotlight, inspire girls globally and drive action on girls’ issues by the global community.

We Advocate

at the international, national and local level for policy and system changes that give girls access to a high quality education at a community level.

We Invest

in community centered scalable solutions that provide quality education with potential for systems level change by empowering local leaders and educators.

Who We Support

Pakistan

The Malala Fund currently funds work providing quality education and communities of support to girls who were in exploitive child domestic labor.

Nigeria

We support "safe space" projects for schoolgirls and provide mentoring and support to girls who were married young and have no opportunity to go to school.

Jordan

Informal education programs engage Syrian refugee children in Northern Jordan who have dropped out of school or are at risk of dropping out of the learning process completely.

Kenya

The Malala Fund works with partners to provide funding for school expansion and infrastructure so more girls can receive quality education.

In the Community

Photos from our work with Syrian Refugees in Jordan, schools in Kenya, and girls in Nigeria.

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Jordan

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya

Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria

Malala was born on 12 July 1997, in Mingora, the Swat District of north west Pakistan. She was named Malala, after Malalai, the famous Pashtun Heroine. (swipe or click arrows to continue)

In 2011, she received Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and she was nominated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for the International Children’s Peace Prize. Her increased profile and strident criticism of the Taliban caused Taliban leaders to meet, and in 2012, they voted to kill her.

On 9 October, 2012, a masked gunman entered her school bus and asked for Malala by name. Malala was shot with a single bullet which went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two of her friends were also injured in the attack. Malala survived the initial shooting, but was in a critical condition.

Who We Are

Malala Yousafzai

Co-Founder

Malala is an education activist and the co-founder of the Malala Fund. She was born in 1997 and grew up in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan. Read Malala's Story.

Ziauddin Yousafzai

Co-Founder

Ziauddin, Malala's father, is the co-founder of the Malala Fund. An educator and social activist, he is the U.N. Special Advisor on Global Education and the Educational Attache at the Pakistani Consulate in Birmingham, UK.

Shiza Shahid

Co-Founder

Shiza is a Pakistani social entrepreneur and activist, who previously served as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company She was recently named on of TIME Magazine's 30 Under 30 World Changers and to Forbes 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs.

Meighan Stone

Interim-CEO

Meighan served previously as Vice President of Communications and Special Projects at World Food Program USA. She has also worked on high-level projects with Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum, FIFA World Cup and Bono's ONE Campaign.

Eason Jordan

Director, Operations and Communications

Eason previously led the digital news network Now This News and the public opinion news service Poll Position. Jordan played a key role at CNN, serving as Chief News Executive and President of Newsgathering and International Networks.

PJ Kadzick

Program Coordinator

PJ worked with the Girl Up campaign at the United Nations Foundation before joining the Malala Fund. He is a graduate of Colgate University with a degree in Political Science.

Malala Day 2014

Your support empowers girls through education

to achieve their potential and be agents

of positive change in their communities.

Malala was born on 12 July 1997, in Mingora, the Swat District of north west Pakistan. She was named Malala, after Malalai, the famous Pashtun Heroine.

(swipe or click arrows to continue)

On 9 October, 2012, a masked gunman entered her school bus and asked for Malala by name.

Malala was shot with a single bullet which went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two of her friends were also injured in the attack.

Malala survived the initial shooting, but was in a critical condition.