The world is thrilled this morning to finally catch a glimpse of Malala Yousafzai, who is recovering from a five-hour operation in Britain. Yousafzai said she is feeling well and wants to “serve the people” and announced the formation of a new fund to support girls’ education.
We are touched and heartened by Malala's recovery, as well as by the donations pouring in to endow a Women in the World fund in her honor used exclusively to educate girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. When she was only 10, this amazing girl accompanied her father to a press club in Peshawar and declared: “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” Now people are echoing her all over the world by joining the cause.
In today’s video, Malala introduces the Malala Fund, created by Vital Voices, the international nonprofit that trains women leaders. Malala herself will help direct the use of these joint funds. To reinforce Malala's efforts for girls’ education, we are contributing the Women in the World Foundation funds raised to date to the Malala Fund.
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The donors who have generously contributed $150,000 to the Women in the World fund for girls' education are a coalition of kindness—high school students in Memphis, children in the Dominican Republic, grandparents who wanted Malala, and girls like her, to have the opportunities of their own grandchildren. We thank every one of you and ask you to keep up the efforts.
The annual Women in the World Summit in New York City on April 4 and 5 will include a salute to brave women and girls like Malala, young women like her risking their lives every single day just to get an education for girls. There is no better time than now for the world to join us in saying, “I am here for Malala.”
The fund set up by the Women in the World Foundation in honor of Malala Yousafzai will help to sustain all those working for girls' education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ms. Jolie’s Education Partnership for Children of Conflict contributed the first $50,000 to this effort.
If you would like to contribute to the Women in the World Foundation fund, please donate here.
Kim Azzarelli President, Women in the World Foundation
