“Bringing girls back to school means designing solutions with them — not just for them”

Malala and Ziauddin traveled to Kongwa District in Tanzania to see the impact of Malala Fund’s partner, Msichana Initiative. Since 2021, Msichana has led the Arudi Shule (“Return to School”) programme, helping girls who dropped out of school — often due to early marriage or pregnancy — reclaim their right to learn.

Earlier in the day, Malala met with young women who had completed their secondary school through Arudi Shule. In their conversation, girls shared their goals for the future. From wanting to be a professional footballer to teacher and healthcare worker — the girls all had big hopes for their career. Their stories highlight that investing in girls’ education transforms individual lives and entire communities.

“In Tanzania, we’re learning that bringing girls back to school means designing solutions with them — not just for them,” said Furahini Michael, Programmes Manager at Msichana Initiative, in a panel with Malala and other Tanzanian women leaders earlier this week. “Girls are not a homogeneous group. A young mother, for example, may need informal learning pathways or childcare support. This is a shared learning journey and we’ve seen how critical community involvement is in challenging harmful social norms.”

Later in the day, at Mnyakongo Secondary School, students and teachers gave Malala a tour of the classrooms — and she joined a community dialogue with local leaders and government officials on the barriers girls continue to face. They discussed challenges that are urgent and interconnected — like how one school often serves students from five or more villages in Kongwa District and girls’ commute to the classroom is long and sometimes unsafe. And while they're in school, girls don’t always have access to clean water, which poses threats to their health, including complications to menstrual hygiene. Adding to the challenges, girls often drop out of school because of early marriage and the harmful and gendered expectations their communities place on them.

Despite recent progress, such as a national effort to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years old, deep structural barriers continue to hold girls back. Community leaders discussed with Malala a range of practical solutions, including drilling wells for water, creating safe transportation options and building stronger reentry pathways for teen mothers.

As the day came to a close, girls surprised Malala with a birthday celebration and asked about her 28th birthday wish. Malala replied:

“I don’t think you’re supposed to share — but mine is easy to guess. I wish every girl, everywhere, could access education.”