During her visit, Malala Yousafzai convened activists focused on various issues — from digital rights to climate justice and child marriage — for a powerful dialogue.
This week in Dar es Salaam, more than 20 young women came together to discuss and celebrate each other’s activism. The room was vibrant and the voices bold. The gathering, co-hosted by Malala, Malala Fund and Msichana Initiative, highlighted what it means to be a young woman leader — the work it takes and how to sustain motivation.
“There are no protocols today,” Furahini Michael said in her welcome to the young women. “It is just us, celebrating the good work we are doing…” She grounded the gathering in a shared purpose: “This is not Malala talking to us or us talking to her. This is all of us speaking to each other.”
Furahini is a programmes manager at Msichana Initiative, an organisation working to support Tanzanian girls and women who are out of school and re-entering — often after early marriage or pregnancy. Malala Fund has been investing in Msichana’s work since 2022.
From climate justice to digital rights, prevention of child marriage and tackling gender-based violence, the activists talked about their work and stories. And a shared truth came to the forefront: the fight for girls’ right to education is deeply personal, and a lifetime mission.
Throughout the conversation, a few themes emerged:
1. Activism is personal — then it becomes a lifetime mission.
Vivien Joseph, a children’s rights and health advocate, shared how escaping a marriage she was forced into shaped her path of activism. “My relatives had arranged a marriage so that I could pay for university. I ran away,” she said. “I want to stand for girls like me: girls who deserve education and equality.”
Hellen Sisya became a mother in her teenage years. She’s now an advocate for other young mothers who are re-entering education systems. She shared about being expelled from school after becoming pregnant. Now she is a graduate and helps other young mothers return to the classroom. “If I didn’t have the chance to go back to school, where would I be?”, she asked.
These stories were part of a broader reflection on the state of civic space in Tanzania. Activists described being underfunded, overburdened and sometimes isolated, but also deeply motivated.
“Many Dadas [sisters] have had to shut down their offices because they don’t have the funds to operate,” said Furahini. “Some are using their own pocket money just to keep things going. We’re leading organisations, creating impact in our communities; and still, many of us can’t afford to pay ourselves a salary. That’s the weight we carry to do this work.”
Alua Mkilindi, executive director of Theatre Arts Feminists, talked about the need for donors to shift the way they support grassroots work and resource collective efforts. “Can you think about a cluster fund? We believe in collective hands. When we work together, we rise together,” she said.
Malala echoed the call for flexible, trust-based funding. “Girls and women know what they are going through, so why don’t we trust them to solve those problems?” she said. “At Malala Fund, we want to support the activists who are already doing the work.”
2. Speaking up is not about the number of people listening — it’s about the impact.
Digital rights activist Imani Luvanga shared how her podcast provides a platform for people facing online harassment and exclusion. One episode about a visually impaired DJ led listeners to buy him a laptop, helping him graduate and secure his first job.
“That’s when I realised: one step brings so many impacts,” she said.
Other participants spoke about organising mobile health camps in rural villages, launching return-to-school campaigns for teenage mothers and mentoring girls through journalism, music and art.
Four girls — Nya Nyakwela, Abia, Alina Mutungi and Zulfa Abdara — took to the stage and shared their dreams with Malala. Abia, speaking with quiet confidence, said: “When I grow up, I want to help girls get an education, even if they are poor.”
3. Securing girls’ rights is easier when men are supportive.
Media personality and youth advocate Meena Ally took the mic to recognise Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. “These are the men we need,” she said. “Supportive fathers, mentors, colleagues who know that gender justice isn’t a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue.”
Ziauddin, visibly moved, replied: “People ask what I did for my daughter. But ask instead what I didn’t do. I didn’t clip her wings.”
The tone of the event was collective, candid and deeply joyful. There was laughter, poetry, music — and even an impromptu chorus of “Happy Birthday” for Malala.
Poet and activist Rebecca Muna closed the event with a reading of her piece Voices That Rise, a tribute to Malala and the power and persistence of every young activist in the room:
Voices that rise
“We are the voices once silenced by fear,
Now echoing through mountains,
Telling the world a girl’s dream is not up for debate.”
Her final lines served not as a conclusion, but a declaration: “You are not just leaders of tomorrow. You are the change makers of now,” she said.
Note: Photos in this article are either provided by Imani Lunvanga and Msichana Initiative or taken by Michael Goima.
