The Malala Fund has recently announced a new round Investment of $7.8 million in its partner organizations and their educational initiatives across Nigeria to further bolster educational initiatives for girl-childs in the country. This new investment is part of a broader effort by the Malala Fund to strengthen the work of their Education Champions, who are key local advocates working on the ground to ensure that all girls have access to free, safe, and quality education. CEO of the organization, Lena Alfi, who revealed this information, claims that this pledge demonstrates the Fund’s continuous efforts to increase girls’ access to education in areas where they encounter the most difficulties.
Since its establishment, the organization claims to have played a significant role in promoting educational reforms and assisting community-based initiatives to guarantee that girls, particularly those living in underprivileged areas, have access to high-quality learning. Malala Fund recently appointed Nabila Aguele as Chief Executive for Nigeria and Gayatri Patel as Chief of External Affairs to further boost its activities in the country. This move signals a strategic attempt to increase the organization’s influence and leadership in the region. According to Aguele, the organization supports partner organizations operating in states where girls suffer the greatest barriers to learning access and advocates for the development and execution of vital educational policies.
Recent investment is deemed timely for Nigeria.
Co-founded by the Nobel laureate in 2013, the Malala Fund is a global non-profit organization, with a set mission to support and promote programs that guarantee that all girls have access to a free, secure, and high-quality education for a full 12 years. The Fund seeks to address obstacles that keep more than 130 million girls from attending school globally. This latest investment is deemed timely considering the present serious educational challenges facing the country, especially for girls in the northern regions where educational opportunities are frequently hampered by socioeconomic and cultural factors.
Aguele claims that the Malala Fund’s financial support and strategic appointments seek to address these problems in a comprehensive approach, creating a context in which every girl can continue her learning without intrusion. In this respect, to lower dropout rates caused by a lack of menstrual supplies, the Malala Fund supports initiatives that give schoolgirls access to menstrual hygiene supplements in northern Nigeria, where the issues are acute. Earlier this year, it announced the targets of increasing the number of girls completing senior Secondary School by 285,000 in Kano State over the next three years under the “Bridging Access to Girls Education Project” (BAGE).
Over $6.1m contributed to initiatives in Nigeria since 2014.
Furthermore, the organization provides support to regional activists and advocates who seek to uphold and advance girls’ rights to learning such as obtaining financing for girl-child education and endeavours to reform policies. In partnership with the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) and other organizations, the Malala Fund, held a workshop on gender-responsive education sector planning (GRESP) in February 2024. Other initiatives include community awareness campaigns, Teacher training, and infrastructural upgrades as we all offer scholarships to girls from disadvantaged families.
Malala Fund has contributed over $6.1 million to partner organizations’ initiatives in Nigeria since 2014. Within the country, it focusses on tackling challenges that keep girls away from pursuing and completing their learning, especially in the northern states where issues like child marriage, poverty, and gender discrimination and instability are most common. These contributions have helped regional partner organizations raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education in the community, run advocacy campaigns, educate activists, and push for legislative reforms.
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Currently, ten Nigerian Education Champions are supported by Malala Fund. With its vast Education Champion Network, the organization continues to fund local education activists who help proponents striving to resolve challenges hindering girl-child learning. This network is particularly essential to bring about more significant change and apply localized solutions. Malala Fund has made over $17 million in programmatic grant investments globally over the years, concentrating mostly on nations like Nigeria. Creating alliances with Civil Society and local governments is one of the strategies aimed at improving learning systems and raising the voices of girls in advocacy campaigns.