The Malala Fund has announced a fresh injection of $1.7 million to support nine Nigerian organisations dedicated to tackling the country’s persistent challenge of out-of-school girls. The new allocation, confirmed on the fund’s official website and in a statement issued in Abuja by Nankwat Mbi, the Communications Manager for Nigeria, aims to accelerate interventions in some of the most underserved communities.
This funding forms part of a broader $4.8 million investment distributed across 21 organisations in Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania. The intervention aligns with the Malala Fund’s 2025–2030 global strategy, which prioritises regions where structural barriers such as conflict, poverty, gender discrimination, and systemic underfunding continue to keep millions of girls out of the classroom.
According to the fund, the latest grants were deliberately channelled to countries with the highest concentration of out-of-school girls. Notably, Nigeria and Pakistan alone account for 15% of all out-of-school girls globally, underscoring the scale of the crisis and the urgent need for targeted, community-driven solutions.
A major highlight of this funding round is the commitment to empowering young women-led organisations: 66% of the grants will go to groups led by young women—more than triple the fund’s initial target under its new strategy. The Malala Fund emphasised that investing in young women at the forefront of education activism remains central to driving sustainable change.
Nigerian Organisations Selected for the Grant
The nine Nigerian organisations benefiting from the $1.7 million allocation include:
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Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative
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Anti-Sexual Violence Lead Support Initiative
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Black Girls’ Dream Initiative
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BudgiT Foundation
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Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative
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Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative
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Participatory Communication for Gender Development Initiative
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Teenage Education and Empowerment Network
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Women, Children, Youth Health and Education Initiative
These partners will focus on advancing gender-responsive budgeting, increasing transparency within the education sector, improving citizen oversight, and expanding school access for marginalised groups. Their work will include supporting re-entry for pregnant and married girls, strengthening safe-school programs, and deploying digital tools to monitor education budgets and identify infrastructure gaps.
A Focus on Vulnerable Girls and Young Mothers
Co-founder Malala Yousafzai expressed pride in the direction of the new strategy, especially its prioritisation of local, women-led advocacy. She reiterated that the funding aims to empower organisations working with girls who face heightened vulnerabilities—such as married girls and young mothers—helping them return to school and complete secondary education despite significant social and economic barriers.
Yousafzai stressed that the work of the Malala Fund’s Education Champion Network remains crucial in influencing national policy, combating harmful practices like child marriage, and addressing systemic inequalities that disproportionately affect girls in low-income communities. The new partners, she said, will continue to confront issues ranging from conflict and discrimination to shrinking public education budgets.
Strengthening Community-Based Solutions
Lena Alfi, Chief Executive Officer of the Malala Fund, reinforced the organisation’s belief in investing in groups with first-hand understanding of the challenges girls face at the grassroots level. She noted that the most impactful solutions often come from activists and community leaders who live and work in the affected environments.
Alfi added that the fund prioritises flexible, multi-year grants, allowing partners to allocate resources based on evolving needs. These may include policy advocacy, re-entry support for young mothers, transparency initiatives, safe-school campaigns, and programs aimed at removing hidden costs—such as uniforms, books, and transportation—that often prevent girls from remaining in school.
With Nigeria continuing to grapple with economic pressures, insecurity, and infrastructural deficits, the Malala Fund’s new investment arrives at a critical moment. The initiative aims not only to increase school enrollment but also to strengthen long-term systems that protect girls’ right to learn and thrive.
