Pakistani Nobel laureate and noted girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai has said that her fund was striving hard to improve girls’ access to education in Pakistan.
She was speaking at a session on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Thursday in which she was also joined by Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau.
Malala said that although her fund for education was working around the globe, it was focused most on educating children in Pakistan. “My campaign on behalf of Malala Fund is aimed at providing higher education to every girl in the world, including Pakistan. I have travelled to Mexico, Lebanon, Nigeria, India and everywhere, but Pakistan is my main focus,” she said.
The young activist added that the fund had done most of it work in Pakistan “and there we are focusing on Shangla and Swat. Besides that, we are also focusing on south Punjab now, so that we may support projects there”. The Nobel laureate she had announced the Gul Makai network that local advocates and activists for education who were working on education, teachers’ training and advocacy, adding that the network was focusing on KPK and south Punjab and would expand further.
“I am hopeful that we would be able to see a change in Pakistan so that more children may go to school and acquire quality education,” she said. Malala was also asked about her message to women in Pakistan to which she said women should always speak up. “I will tell them to speak for their rights, raise their voice. You are brave and keep working courageously.”
Malala was also joined in the discussion by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who she thanked on behalf of 130 million girls. The Canadian PM had earlier announced doubling the aid to the Global Partnership for Education to $180 million over three years. He said investing in women and girls was the “most effective way of making a real and lasting difference”.
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