THE MALALA FUND

FOUNDED BY MALALA AND ZIAUDDIN YOUSAFZAI IN 2013, MALALA FUND IS WORKING FOR A WORLD WHERE EVERY GIRL CAN LEARN AND CHOOSE HER OWN FUTURE. TOGETHER WITH OUR BOARD, GRANTEE PARTNERS, YOUNG WOMEN ADVISORY COUNCIL, STAFF, LEADERSHIP COUNCIL AND DONOR PARTNERS, WE ARE CREATING A MORE EQUAL, SAFER AND HEALTHIER WORLD BY ENSURING ALL GIRLS CAN ACCESS AND COMPLETE 12 YEARS OF EDUCATION. THROUGH GRANTMAKING AND ADVOCACY, WE STRENGTHEN GIRLS' RIGHT TO SECONDARY EDUCATION AND UNLOCK THE RESOURCES NEEDED FOR ALL GIRLS TO ENJOY THIS RIGHT. THIS FISCAL YEAR, MALALA FUND AWARDED $10.2 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO 57 ORGANISATIONS IN 10 COUNTRIES. WE AWARDED THE MAJORITY OF FUNDS THROUGH OUR EDUCATION CHAMPION NETWORK (ECN), (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)AFGHANISTAN INITIATIVE AND GIRL PROGRAMME. WE AWARDED ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO KEY PARTNERS RESPONDING TO CRISES DISRUPTING GIRLS' EDUCATION. GLOBAL ADVOCACY DRIVING GLOBAL MOVEMENTS FOR GIRLSMALALA FUND USES ITS VOICE, NETWORKS AND PLATFORMS TO SECURE THE COMMITMENTS AND RESOURCES GIRLS NEED TO CLAIM THEIR RIGHT TO EDUCATION. THIS YEAR, WE BUILT LEGAL, DIPLOMATIC AND PUBLIC MOMENTUM TOWARDS THE CODIFICATION OF GENDER APARTHEID IN INTERNATIONAL LAW, A LEGAL BREAKTHROUGH THAT WOULD ALLOW THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO HOLD THE TALIBAN ACCOUNTABLE, PROTECT AFGHAN GIRLS AND DETER FUTURE VIOLATIONS OF GIRLS' RIGHTS EVERYWHERE. WE ALSO BEGAN SHAPING A NEW ADVOCACY INITIATIVE AIMED AT REFORMING GLOBAL DEBT, WHICH COULD UNLOCK BILLIONS FOR EDUCATION OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THE CURRENT DEBT CRISIS IS CRIPPLING GOVERNMENTS' ABILITY TO BUILD SCHOOLS, PAY TEACHERS AND PROVIDE SAFE TRANSPORTATION FOR GIRLS. HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR WORK THIS YEAR: PROGRESS IN GUARANTEEING 12 YEARS OF EDUCATION FOR EVERY CHILDOVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, MALALA FUND AND PARTNERS HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR EXTENDING EVERY CHILD'S FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION TO INCLUDE FREE, FULL SECONDARY EDUCATION. IN JULY 2024, THE U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AGREED TO BEGIN EXPLORING A NEW OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD - WITH THE AIM TO GUARANTEE 12 YEARS OF EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN IN INTERNATIONAL LAW. THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, LUXEMBOURG AND SIERRA LEONE ADVANCED THE RESOLUTION, WHICH WAS CO-SPONSORED BY 46 OTHER COUNTRIES THANKS IN PART TO ADVOCACY BY MALALA FUND AND OTHER CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS, INCLUDING HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AND CHILD RIGHTS CONNECT. ADVANCING THE MOVEMENT TO END GENDER APARTHEID IN AFGHANISTAN - MALALA AND ZIAUDDIN YOUSAFZAI, ALONGSIDE OUR AFGHANISTAN INITIATIVE SENIOR DIRECTOR SAHAR HALAIMZAI, PLAYED PIVOTAL ROLES IN ADVANCING JUSTICE FOR AFGHAN GIRLS AND WOMEN. THEIR ADVOCACY AND ENGAGEMENTS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ADOPTION OF THE TERM GENDER APARTHEID BY THE U.N., LEGAL EXPERTS, ACTIVISTS AND GLOBAL MEDIA. MALALA AND SAHAR LED HIGH-LEVEL DIPLOMACY WITH KEY U.N. MEMBER STATES, SECURING ALBANIA'S PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CODIFICATION OF GENDER APARTHEID. THEY CONVENED SENIOR LEADERS AT THE U.K. PARLIAMENT AND URGED MUSLIM LEADERS TO REJECT TALIBAN POLICIES. IN RECOGNITION OF THIS WORK, MALALA ACCEPTED THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW'S CHAMPION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RULE OF LAW AWARD ON BEHALF OF MALALA FUND AND OUR AFGHAN PARTNERS. FOLLOWING OUR ADVOCACY, THE U.K. ISSUED POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE CASE AGAINST THE TALIBAN. ZIAUDDIN AMPLIFIED THE VOICES OF AFGHAN FATHERS ADVOCATING FOR GIRLS' EDUCATION. - THROUGH GRANTMAKING, CONVENINGS AND COALITION-BUILDING, OUR AFGHANISTAN INITIATIVE IS STRENGTHENING LEGAL PATHWAYS TO HOLD THE TALIBAN ACCOUNTABLE, PROTECTING GIRLS' EDUCATION AND ELEVATING AFGHAN WOMEN IN THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. WE SUPPORTED ALTERNATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMMES CAPABLE OF REACHING MORE THAN 2 MILLION GIRLS INSIDE AFGHANISTAN. WE LED HIGH-LEVEL ENGAGEMENTS AT THE U.N., STANFORD UNIVERSITY AND IN SOUTH AFRICA, CONVENING LEGAL EXPERTS AND POLITICAL LEADERS TO PUSH FOR CODIFICATION. OUR SUSTAINED DIPLOMACY HELPED MOVE THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY TREATY INTO FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS. OUR CAMPAIGNS MARKING 1,000 DAYS OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION BAN AND FATHER'S DAY AMPLIFIED AFGHAN VOICES GLOBALLY, GENERATING MILLIONS OF VIEWS AND DEEP ENGAGEMENT. LAUNCHING GIRLS' VISION FOR EDUCATIONMALALA FUND LAUNCHED ITS "GIRLS' VISION FOR EDUCATION" REPORT IN MARCH 2025, PRESENTING INSIGHTS FROM MORE THAN 800 GIRLS IN 30 LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES. CENTRING THE VOICES OF MARGINALISED GIRLS AND PARTNERING WITH GIRLS AND GIRL-FOCUSED ORGANISATIONS, WE HEARD A CLEAR MESSAGE: GIRLS WANT AN EDUCATION THAT EMPOWERS THEM, TO LEARN IN SCHOOLS FIT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WHERE THEY ARE RESPECTED, AND GOVERNMENTS TO DELIVER ON PROMISES TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO THEIR EDUCATION. GIRLS ALSO SHARED PERSISTENT ECONOMIC, SECURITY AND HEALTH OBSTACLES TO THEIR EDUCATION. WE WILL CONTINUE TO AMPLIFY THESE INSIGHTS AND GIRLS' VOICES THROUGH OUR GLOBAL ADVOCACY, PUSHING FOR BETTER-RESOURCED EDUCATION SYSTEMS THAT TRULY DELIVER FOR GIRLS.UNLOCKING BILLIONS FOR EDUCATION THROUGH DEBT REFORMMALALA FUND BEGAN SHAPING ITS ADVOCACY INITIATIVE AIMED AT ACHIEVING DEBT JUSTICE FOR GIRLS. WE FOCUSED ON ADVOCATING FOR REFORM OF THE G20 COMMON FRAMEWORK FOR DEBT TREATMENTS, CURRENTLY THE ONLY COORDINATED MECHANISM TO RESOLVE GOVERNMENT DEBT, TO UNLOCK RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION IN LOWER-INCOME COUNTRIES. WE SUPPORTED U.K. PARLIAMENTARY ACTION TO BRING PRIVATE LENDERS INTO G20-LED RELIEF EFFORTS, AND BUILT COALITIONS LINKING ECONOMIC JUSTICE AND GIRLS' RIGHTS. WE RAISED PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE DEBT CRISIS THROUGH OUR CONTENT AND PLATFORMS, MAKING GLOBAL FINANCING ISSUES AND DEBATES RELEVANT TO GIRLS' RIGHTS AND EDUCATION. WE ESTABLISHED KEY RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS GOVERNMENTS, MULTILATERALS AND CIVIL SOCIETY, POSITIONING MALALA FUND AS A LEADING VOICE FOR GIRLS IN GLOBAL FINANCIAL REFORM. FOCUS COUNTRIESSHIFTING POWER TO LOCAL LEADERSMALALA FUND SUPPORTS LOCAL EDUCATION ADVOCATES CHANGING EDUCATION SYSTEMS FROM THE GROUND UP IN COMMUNITIES, REGIONS AND COUNTRIES WHERE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF GIRLS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL OR AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT. THROUGH OUR GRANTMAKING, WE SUPPORT THEM IN SCALING THEIR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT, SHIFTING POWER AND RESOURCES TO THOSE BEST POSITIONED TO DISMANTLE GIRLS' EDUCATION BARRIERS. COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTSWE SHARE A SMALL SELECTION OF OUR IMPACT AND OUR PARTNERS' INCREDIBLE WORK IN OUR SIX FOCUS COUNTRIES BELOW. IN ADDITION TO GRANTMAKING IN NIGERIA AND PAKISTAN, WE ADVOCATE DIRECTLY ALONGSIDE PARTNERS FOR STATE, PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL POLICY REFORMS THAT ENABLE MORE GIRLS IN EACH COUNTRY TO COMPLETE SECONDARY SCHOOL. NIGERIADRIVING EDUCATION REFORM THROUGH BUDGET ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY-LED ACTION: IN NIGERIA, OUR PARTNERS ARE SPEARHEADING EFFORTS TO ADVANCE GIRLS' EDUCATION THROUGH GENDER-RESPONSIVE BUDGETING AND POLICY REFORM. THEY ARE BUILDING CIVIL SOCIETY AND MEDIA CAPACITY, FOSTERING ACCOUNTABILITY AND CENTRING COMMUNITIES IN THEIR PUSH FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION. - IN KANO STATE, BRIDGECONNECT AFRICA INITIATIVE (BCAI)'S ADVOCACY LED TO THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF THE GENDER RESPONSIVE EDUCATION BUDGETING (GREB) FRAMEWORK, TRAINING MORE THAN 50 GOVERNMENT STAKEHOLDERS AND ESTABLISHING A 15-MEMBER GREB COMMITTEE. THESE EFFORTS CONTRIBUTED TO AN INCREASE IN THE EDUCATION BUDGET FROM 19% TO 35% FOR GIRLS' EDUCATION, AND RESULTED IN THE REOPENING OF 15 GIRLS' SECONDARY SCHOOLS, EXPANDED ACCESS TO FREE TRANSPORTATION AND UNIFORMS AND RECRUITMENT OF MORE FEMALE TEACHERS.- IN ADAMAWA STATE, CENTER FOR ADVOCACY, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY INITIATIVE (CATAI) PARTNERED WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH THE STATE'S FIRST COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION POLICY. THIS POLICY ADDRESSES GENDER DISPARITIES THROUGH MENTORSHIP, SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS, GENDER-SENSITIVE LEADERSHIP AND STRONG PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT.