How Malala Fund In Pakistan & IRD Turned 500 School Girls Into Community Leaders

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Malala Fund in Pakistan

During the past three years, Malala Fund, the philanthropic vehicle launched by Pakistan’s very own Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai has made considerable investment in Pakistan.

Malala Fund and its work in Pakistan ranges from running the state-of-the-art school providing free education to girls in Swat to supporting local activists demand better access to secondary education for girls and empowering young girls across the country with the necessary knowledge and skills to advocate for their right to sustained education.

Malala Fund & IRD Collaborate to Create Young Leaders

As part of its efforts to support girls right to secondary education, Malala Fund in Pakistan partnered with Interactive Research & Development (IRD) network , to enhance the skills of 500 secondary school-going girls. As part of the training, these young girls from two government secondary schools were provided with leadership skills to boost their confidence, negotiation & communication competencies.

Read: Here’s Why Every Pakistani Needs To Advocate For Girls’ Education In Pakistan!

In turn, these newly trained student leaders have been undertaking various activities in their communities to ensure sustained, quality education for themselves and their peers. These activities include, theater plays, poetry recitals and speeches in their schools along with door-to-door campaigns and walks in the communities to highlight the importance of continuing Girls’ Education till 12th grade. These young girls are also taking lead to engage with community elders and policy makers in Sindh province. 

She Leads Conference

To mark the conclusion of IRD’s Malala Fund supported program, “Kiran Sitara-Nai Manzil,” a conference, “She Leads” was organized in Karachi on 29 August 2019.

Secretary, School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh Qazi Shahid Pervez while speaking at the event emphasized the importance of at least 12 years of quality education for every Pakistani child, especially girls.

“If we are to solve the most pressing issues of our time, we need to give confidence to the untapped resource of the current generation leaders of adolescent girls. They have the potential to bring social change in the country through their energy and commitment. By empowering these girls and providing 12 years of compulsory free education of good quality we can address the issue of community development, drop-outs in secondary school, child marriage and other critical health and development challenges.”

– Qazi Shahid Pervez

Other notable participants at the She Leads conference included, Dr. Fozia Khan, Chief Adviser Curriculum Wing, Hamid Kareem Regional Director School Education & Literacy Department, Karachi, Dr.Bari Khan, CEO Indus Health Network and Qadeer Baig Program Director at IRD.

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