We spotlight girl- and women-led organisations championing progress for girls from the ground up.
This Women’s History Month, Malala Fund is shining a light on the incredible girl- and women-led organisations driving grassroots change in communities around the world. Women leaders everywhere are breaking down systemic barriers and advocating for policy reforms that prioritise inclusive, quality learning environments for girls.
Malala Fund is proud to support these organisations as they work to ensure all girls can claim their right to secondary education. With girls and women at their helm, these organisations can challenge deep-rooted social norms in their communities, shape their work based on lived experiences with education barriers and implement new solutions.
From Pakistan to Brazil, these organisations are not only transforming their communities but also influencing national policies and global conversations about gender equity in education. Here are a few of our partners leading the way.
Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE): Fighting for gender-responsive education financing
In Pakistan, education financing remains a critical challenge with only 1.9% of GDP allocated to education — far below the 4-6% global benchmark. Lack of funding disproportionately affects girls, leading to lower enrolment rates, higher dropout rates and fewer opportunities for girls’ future success.
What PCE is doing:
Advocating for gender-responsive education financing and policy reforms
Engaging policymakers to ensure increased investment in girls’ education
Conducting research and budget tracking to highlight funding gaps
Mobilising communities through town halls and consultations to raise awareness
Through their advocacy efforts, PCE is pushing for systemic change to close the gender gap in education and ensure all girls in Pakistan can complete their schooling.
“Without targeted investment in girls’ education — including funding for safe school environments, scholarships, and gender-responsive and climate-resilient infrastructure — Pakistan risks deepening existing inequalities.” — Zehra Arshad, Executive Director of Society for Access to Quality Education (SAQE) and National Coordinator of PCE.
2. Msichana Initiative: Ensuring young mothers in Tanzania can return to school
While the Tanzanian government ended a policy preventing young mothers from attending public schools in 2021, lack of awareness, negative perceptions of girls’ education and the persistent stigma around adolescent mothers in school have hindered the implementation of the policy change. And those who do return face inadequate support and logistical challenges like the lack of childcare facilities.
What Msichana Initiative is doing:
Implementing the Arudi Shule programme in Nzega and Kongwa districts to support young mothers' return to school locally and nationally.
Providing supplies, mental health support and mentorship to ensure retention
Engaging parents and community members through dialogue and door-to-door campaigns to shift negative attitudes towards girls’ education
Training teachers, and education and social welfare officials to effectively implement the government’s policy change and combat stigma
Since its inception, the Arudi Shule programme has helped more than 400 girls re-enter formal education, with 48 graduating from lower secondary school in 2024. They have trained more than 200 community stakeholders to support school re-entry. And the initiative is sparking national policy discussions to strengthen legal protections for girls' education.
“Successful implementation of [school] re-entry policy depends heavily on teachers, education officers, relevant ministries and social welfare officers. Arudi Shule has been quite impactful not only in supporting girls who dropped out to re-enter but enabling the environment for the provision of this fundamental right.” — Rebeca Gyumi, Founder and Executive Director of Msichana Initiative
3. Invictus Africa: Advocating for gender-responsive education budgets in Nigeria
In Oyo and Gombe states, girls face significant barriers to education, including early marriage, economic hardship and gender-based violence. A gender-sensitive, girl-informed education budget can help dismantle these obstacles by allocating resources to girl-friendly school infrastructure, scholarships and safety measures.
What Invictus Africa is doing:
Conducting baseline assessments on gender-responsive education budgeting
Training government officials and media practitioners on the importance of gender-responsive spending
Developing and launching a step-by-step Gender-Responsive Education Budgeting and Spending (GREBS) guide
Raising public awareness through media campaigns across television and radio, even producing jingles in local dialects
Their work is equipping local stakeholders with the tools to advocate for better education policies, ensuring that state budgets prioritise girls' needs.
“All girls in Nigeria should have the right to education and opportunity with safety and freedom.” — Bukky Shonibare, Founder and Executive Director of Invictus Africa
4. Coordenação Nacional de Articulação de Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas (CONAQ): Supporting quilombola girls to advocate for education rights in Brazil
In Brazil, CONAQ’s National School for Quilombola Girls is empowering Afro-Brazilian girls to advocate for education policies that reflect their cultural heritage and lived experiences.
What CONAQ is doing:
Training students and educators on racism, gender, public policy and advocacy
Leading the National Campaign for Quality Education for Quilombola Girls
Hosting public hearings with the Ministry of Education to address structural inequalities
Producing educational resources tailored to quilombola students
Through their efforts, quilombola girls are influencing national education policy, ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making spaces.
“Advocacy activities led by girls from the National School for Quilombola Girls have achieved concrete results, with commitments made by government officials to improve the quality of quilombola education.” — Givânia Maria da Silva, Co-founder of CONAQ
5. Network of Ethiopian Women's Associations (NEWA): Addressing the impact of conflict on girls’ education in Ethiopia
Conflict in Ethiopia has disrupted education for millions of children, with girls facing heightened risks of early marriage, child labour and gender-based violence. With many schools destroyed or repurposed, girls have few options for continuing their education.
What NEWA is doing:
Conducting assessments on education policies and their impact on girls
Advocating for gender-responsive, post-conflict education reconstruction
Engaging with policymakers to integrate gender considerations into education strategies
Providing resources to support girls’ return to school in conflict-affected regions
NEWA’s work is crucial to ensuring that education recovery efforts in Ethiopia are inclusive and equitable.
“By bringing together girls from different regions, NEWA has fostered peer learning, solidarity, and mutual understanding of common challenges. Through discussions, girls have identified and prioritised their needs, formulated common demands and called for action from decision-makers and policymakers.” — Saba Gebremendhin Hagos, Executive Director of NEWA
6. LEARN Afghanistan: Expanding hybrid learning for girls
In Afghanistan, the Taliban bars girls from going to school past grade six. . LEARN Afghanistan uses their hybrid learning approach to give nearly 400 girls access to quality education. In provinces where LEARN Afghanistan operates, girls can access a comprehensive curriculum on and offline.
What LEARN is doing:
Providing offline and online education to girls in two provinces.
Offering periodic in-person instruction and at-home learning materials
Training teachers in digital pedagogy and student-centred methodologies such as problem-solving, independent inquiry and collaboration
Working to accredit their curriculum and helping girls obtain formal qualifications after secondary education.
LEARN’s work ensures that Afghan girls continue to receive quality education despite the systematic oppression they face in the country.
“From learning from home [programmes] to humanitarian aid, we’ve adapted to crises, reaching thousands of Afghans with education and support.” — Pashtana Durani, Founder and Executive Director of LEARN Afghanistan
These organisations exemplify the power of grassroots women’s leadership in the fight for girls' education. By advocating for policy reforms, mobilising communities and addressing systemic barriers, they are transforming education systems to be more inclusive and equitable.
This Women’s History Month, Malala Fund celebrates their efforts and remains committed to supporting girl- and women-led organisations and movements that are shaping the future of education for the next generation.
You can support our work in a few ways:
Make a gift to help us accelerate progress for girls’ education around the world.
Visit our ways to support page for more ideas on how you can help girls learn.
