We talk to our CEO Lena Alfi about leadership, impact and her latest obsession.
This year, Malala Fund celebrates 10 years of our impact as an organisation dedicated to fighting for a world where every girl can learn and choose her own future. Leading us into our next decade is Lena Alfi, our former interim CEO, who recently stepped into the position permanently. Lena started at Malala Fund in 2017 as a Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer, and her role has grown and evolved with the organisation since then. As CEO, she oversees the direction and champions the mission and values of the organisation.
We recently sat down with Lena to learn a little bit more about her and what drives her leadership at Malala Fund.
In your view, what has been Malala Fund’s most impactful role in ensuring girls have access to education?
Over the past 10 years, Malala Fund has been able to move millions of dollars through more than 400 grants to some of the most amazing education activists and organisations that are breaking down barriers to girls’ education in the countries where we work. This last year alone, we’ve been able to move $1.5 million to Afghan education activists who are working in the country to make sure girls continue to learn while the Taliban has shut down schools and kept girls out of school.
What do you wish leaders prioritised to ensure girls can have secure futures?
Leaders everywhere need to believe in girls’ right to education and the gains that their country would see if girls had access to school. We know that educating girls means that communities are safer and healthier, that economies are stronger. It means the risk of conflict can be halved in some instances. Right now, we need world leaders to also speak up on Afghanistan. We need world leaders to support the codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and hold the Taliban accountable for preventing girls from going to school. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from school and we need world leaders to step up and to not forget about Afghan girls’ right to education.
What does leadership mean to you?
To me, the most powerful kind of leadership is leadership that’s rooted in partnership. Some of the most profound moments in my leadership journey have been those where I have linked up with others, where I have solicited counsel, where I have brought in experts and where I have used collective knowledge to solve problems and to come up with new ideas. I don't believe any leader can do anything alone. I believe surrounding yourself with the right kind of people, working in partnership with others and hearing diverse perspectives is what makes you a great leader.
Name one thing, anything, that defines you.
My relationships. I value relationships more than anything. I’m a people person — I love connecting with people, learning about them, hearing about their experiences and perspectives and building meaningful relationships based on trust.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of leading an organisation like Malala Fund?
There are so many amazing things that happen at Malala Fund. But I would have to say our mission is what drives me. What fulfils me most is seeing girls stand up for their rights, advocate to world leaders and their communities and speak up for one another. They are absolutely incredible and it is really fulfilling to see.
Can you share an example of how Malala Fund’s grantees are driving change for girls?
Malala Fund works with some of the most incredible education activists around the world. I just met with one of our wonderful partners who is advocating for girls’ education in Afghanistan. Rahela runs Rahela Trust which provides scholarship and mentorship opportunities to young women in rural areas of Afghanistan to ensure that they have access to education. With Malala Fund’s grant, she’s able to expand her programme to ensure at least 50 girls can access learning while schools are shut down in Afghanistan.
What is your current obsession outside work?
I am constantly trying to keep up with my kids’ obsessions. I have two young boys and they are currently focused on Pokemon, so my current obsession is trying to learn all the Pokemon characters.
Who is someone that you look up to and why?
Someone I look up to is my mother. My mother grew up in Syria, as one of many siblings, and found sports at a very early age. She is a natural athlete, loves sports and really used sports as her outlet in life. And in her early 20s, she had to restart her life in the U.S., in a completely different country. She so deeply valued girls’ education and a women’s agency to choose her own future and choose what she wants with her life. She placed a great deal of emphasis on me and my sister’s education and making sure we had the independence and the power to decide what we wanted to do with our lives. In many ways, my mother reminds me a lot of the girls that we work with — who know exactly what they want, are passionate, want to fight for themselves and know that education is such a strong pathway for their future.
