Apple will partner Malala Fund to provide education for underprivileged girls

Apple and Malala Fund have announced a new partnership that will see the technology giant offer technical expertise and resources to support Malala Fund’s aim of providing over 100,00 underprivileged girls with an education.

Malala Fund was founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafza and aims to provide girls across the world with at least 12 years of education.

Malala Yousafza said: “I want to see every girl decide their future. I want every girl to have access to a quality education…I want girls to follow their dreams.”

Currently Malala Fund supports education programmes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Nigeria where the level of female school attendance is severely low. Estimates suggest that 13 million girls in Pakistan do not attend school; this figure is five million in Nigeria and three million in Afghanistan.

There are an estimated 130 million girls out of school around the world. Evidence suggests that providing females with an education has a significant role in improving economic and social development, health issues and political empowerment.

Apple has not specified how much the company will invest but has said the partnership will enable Malala Fund to expand its operations and support projects in India and Latin America.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, will join Malala Fund’s leadership council stating that:

“We believe that education is a great equalising force and we share the Malala Fund’s commitment to give every girl an opportunity to go to school”

“Malala is a courageous advocate for equality. She’s one of the most inspiring figures of our time and we are honoured to help her extend the important work she is doing to empower girls around the world.”

This new partnership demonstrates the importance of collaboration between large companies and international organsations to acheive development goals.

The role of technology in achieving the SDG's will be discussed at the 3rd annual Aid & Development Africa Summit, held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 – 28 February 2018.

If you’d like to stay informed on the latest updates in aid and development, please sign up for the AIDF newsletter.

Image Source: Malala Fund