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World Leaders Must Choose to Invest in Refugee Education

By Philippa Lei, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Malala Fund

Today we mark World Refugee Day in the midst of the largest refugee crisis since World War II. More than 60 million people around the world are displaced from their homes because of war, persecution or disaster; 20 million have been forced to flee across borders to other countries.

70% of these refugees and forcibly displaced people (42 million) are women and girls. More than half are under 18 years old.

At Malala Fund, we’re supporting several programs to help Syrian refugee girls — but this is a worldwide crisis. After Syria, Afghanistan has the highest number of refugees, followed by Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Central African Republic, Iraq and Eritrea.

And refugee experience is no longer short-term. On average, people now spend 25 years as refugees.

A child refugee today has a slim chance of completing 12 years of school. Only half of refugee children are attending primary school, according to a recent report published by UNESCO and UNHCR. Worse still, 75% of refugee adolescents are out of secondary school. The Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya operate 33 primary schools but only seven secondary schools. These seven schools run at double their capacity and accommodate just 13% of adolescent refugee children.

In Pakistan, refugee girls from Afghanistan frequently drop out of school due to child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Many girls are taken out of school to be married, as early as grade six. Dropout rates for refugee girls are as high as 90%. A child does not lose her right to education because her country goes to war and makes her a refugee. Yet girls living in conflict-affected countries are nearly 90% more likely to be out of secondary school than their peers in peaceful countries.

Because of the staggering refugee crisis, the world is moving backwards on education — and moving towards deeper poverty, more war, poor health and fewer opportunities for women.

We know that education improves economic development, health, women’s rights and lowers the risk of war. In the midst of the largest refugee crisis in more than 70 years, leaders have a choice to make: invest in education for a safer, healthier, more prosperous future or condemn refugee children — and our world — to deeper poverty and continued conflict.

What leaders can do

Ensure that no child is out of school for more than one month.

As a short-term measure, UNHCR refugee camps need to provide primary and secondary education. Host country governments should permit the construction of school buildings. Additionally, host countries can permit NGOs to operate non-formal education programs to meet the immediate need.

Donor countries need to increase education funding in humanitarian aid.

To date in 2016, donor countries have provided only 25% of the funding needed to educate refugee children.

Less than 2% of humanitarian aid goes toward education. Development aid is similarly failing to prioritize education — overall and in conflict settings — with just 8% of aid disbursed to the education sector in 2014, a decline of almost $600 million from 2013. Host countries should integrate refugees into their education system. Currently, 64% of host countries give refugee children full access to primary and secondary education. According to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, host countries must guarantee access to public school for refugee children, without proof of previous education. This is crucial as many families flee their homes without birth certificates, passports or a child’s report card. To make sure that all refugee children can attend school, host countries need to provide more funding, hire more teachers and grow the capacity of schools so that every child can enrol. To help refugee children learn and progress in their new schools, host countries must be willing to provide programs to meet their needs, like language training.

Teachers are refugees, too — and host countries should give them the right to work. Language and cultural barriers keep many refugee children from attending school. But educators from their home country can provide tremendous support, if they are allowed to take a teaching job in their host country. Countries in the region of a refugee crisis should develop a regional certification and recognition program for education. This will allow refugee children to transfer their education from country to country, continue their education at a university or find decent employment in their host country or home country when they return. What you can do: Donate today to help refugee girls go to school.

#world refugee day #withrefugees #girls' education #malala #malala yousafzai #syrian refugees

Happy Father’s Day

This Father’s Day we are celebrating all the amazing fathers who support their daughters and believe in the right of education for every child. Earlier this week Malala had a candid conversation with father Ziauddin about fatherhood, education and feminism. In response, over six thousand supporters signed a special Father’s Day card to send to Ziauddin.

Check out of some the notes we received.

"Thank you, Ziauddin, for realizing Malala's greatness and encouraging her to make the most of her life." —Rebecca

"If all men and fathers were like you the world would be a so much better place." —Christina

"Thank you for loving and raising such a remarkable young woman. You taught her well." —Susan and Robert

“Ziauddin, I hope that I can be as great a father to my daughters as you have been to Malala. You are an awesome example to us all!"—Joe

"You have raised a wonderful daughter who is courageous. She is an inspiration to women everywhere. Congratulations."—Cynthia

"You have shown what dedication, respect, motivation, and pushing a child to fight for their dream is all about." —Michael

"Celebrate a wonderful Father's Day. Thank you for honoring peace, education and equality for all." —Kathy

Men and women must work together in order to achieve equality for women and girls and get every child 12 years of free, safe, quality education. We’re so thankful to have fathers like Ziauddin championing for girls’ education and encouraging other men to do the same.

Stand #withMalala in support of education and learn how you can help girls go to school .

Malala’s Letter to US Senate Hearing

This morning, Malala Fund President Meighan Stone, spoke before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at a hearing on “Barriers to Education Globally: Getting Girls in the Classroom.” During her remarks she made recommendations for US action and read a letter on behalf of Malala — a letter calling for increased support by the US government towards girls’ education around the world.

Malala’s Letter:

Chairman Rubio, Ranking Member Boxer and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to provide a statement on the issue of girls’ education, a campaign to which I have dedicated my life and which impacts so many of my sisters around the world. When the Taliban first came to my home in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, they banned all education for girls. My father Ziauddin was a teacher. He and his friends challenged the Taliban on the rights of girls. A little while later, the Taliban agreed to allow girls to go to school for three years - but no further. Why? The Taliban knew that primary education would give girls basic skills they needed to fulfill roles they approved for women — serving their husbands and doing housework. But they also knew that it was not enough education to allow them to think critically, take control of their futures or be leaders in their community. Globally, more than 63 million girls are out of school and denied their right to education. Without access to a full 12 years of school, we all know that girls’ opportunities are limited, and many will continue to marry and have children while they are still young. I have seen that donor countries often have many good intentions to get more girls in school, but do not commit funding that leads to real change for girls like me. As a student in Pakistan, I often heard of world leaders pledging support to give more children access to education, but still there was no secondary school for girls in my village until Malala Fund started to build one with local partners. I am asking the United States and other donor countries for funding for 12 years of education to ensure the poorest girls around the world receive the education they need to succeed. I feel lucky to be able to complete my secondary education as many girls in my village are still missing out on school, and to have the opportunity to address leaders like you on their behalf. They want you to know they are ambitious and want an education that will allow them to fulfill their potential and provide for their families, just like girls in the U.S.

I hope together we can make that a reality. Thank you, Malala

Meighan’s powerful testimony called on the US committee to make three major recommendations.

Increase support for girls’ education around the world.

Invest in local organisations and national governments to effectively and sustainably address the issues keeping girls from learning.

Further transparency on how much government spending actually goes towards girls’ secondary education and in which countries.

Through participation in today’s discussion and global advocacy efforts, Malala Fund commits every day to advocating for every girl because the facts are clear — education is key to securing a stronger future. Girls around the world must be granted access to a full 12 years of safe, quality education. Learn more about the work of Malala Fund and find out how you can stand #withMalala and take action in support of girls’ education.

#malala yousafzai #withMalala

Malala and Ziauddin Talk Fatherhood

For Father’s Day, Malala asked her dad, Ziauddin about the importance of fathers who support their daughters’ dreams.

Watch their candid and heartwarming conversation:

To celebrate Father’s Day on June 19, we’re honouring every dad around the world who sends his daughter to school and works for her equality. Will you join Malala and sign her Father’s Day card to Ziauddin and all fathers who support girls’ education?

We have told many powerful stories of girls overcoming barriers to get an education — and often these stories wouldn’t be possible without a supportive father.

In Nigeria, Amina’s uncle wanted her to marry young - but her father stood up for her right to go to school.

In Syria, Raghad’s father was a doctor before their family fled the war. Now he works day and night in Turkey to pay $230 a year for Raghad’s school tuition.

Take a moment to celebrate these remarkable men and sign Malala’s Father’s Day card before Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19.

P.S. After you sign Malala’s card, follow her lead and send a Father’s Day eCard of your own. It’s a great way to thank your dad or anyone who has supported your dreams and education. Make a tribute gift now to send your eCard and help girls go to school.

Meet Ghina: She Knows Education is Key to the Future of Syria

Three years ago, Ghina, a 16-year-old Syrian refugee, left for Turkey with her mother after her father was detained by Syrian government forces. They hoped to find a peaceful place to live. Instead, she and her mother are struggling to find stability ― especially for Ghina’s education.

“I have been studying here for three years but it has barely counted for anything. The schools are so bad,” Ghina describes in this video from the Fuller Project for International Reporting.

WATCH: Ghina, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, struggles to find stability in her new school

In her new home, Ghina has been stripped of any consistency of her daily life. Her family has been broken up. She has not heard from her father since he was imprisoned in Syria and her two sisters are working in Germany and the United States, where they finished school and are working to support their family.

In Syria, Ghina was a top student, aspiring to attend the University of Damascus, but when she left her home, her education was uprooted, and those dreams are farther and farther out of reach.

Ghina is discouraged by the ever-changing curriculum of her temporary school in Turkey. She attends a “double shift” school building ― Turkish children attend in the mornings, and after they are finished, Syrian children go to school for a few hours in the afternoon.

Her school often closes and even when she does get to attend, the teachers have difficulty dealing with students who have gone through so much distress. And yet, by comparison to the some 500,000 children not enrolled in any type of schooling in Turkey, Ghina is lucky to have access to school.

Ghina knows that education is key to her future, and to the future of Syria. “We need to go back and rebuild Syria again,” she says, hopeful for the eventual homecoming of her fellow refugees to Syria. She wishes to return to her home as a doctor or journalist.

For now, Ghina pins her dreams on finding a better education and life in America. Ghina and her mother have applied to go to the United States to join her sister Sana, but the likelihood of their reunion is low, as the United States has only accepted 1,736 of almost 5 million Syrian refugees.

While she and her mother wait, Ghina finds comfort in her occasional video calls with her sisters. One day she hopes she can return to her old life, but without a quality education, Ghina’s future, and the future of Syria, hangs in the balance.

Ghina’s story is not unique, it is one of many ― stories like Rawdanur’s and Muzoon’s. We believe these girls are #notlost, not if they have education. Learn more about Malala Fund’s advocacy efforts to urge governments to fund refugee education.

#withMalala #withSyria #Syrian refugees

A Syrian Refugee Girl’s Story Prompts Outpouring of Support and a New Violin

It has been four years since Loury has held a violin. In this heartwarming video, her face lights up as she picks up the instrument and gently pulls the bow across the strings. For a few moments she is back to the peace and promise of her former life — before the war forced her and her family to leave their home in Syria for Turkey.

WATCH: Loury picks up a violin for the first time in almost four years

A budding musician in Syria, Loury’s fingers now only know the stitch of a cheap t-shirt. Her violin and musical aspirations were left behind when the family migrated to Turkey. Thanks to the outpouring of support from people around the world — including many musicians — Loury will be able to make a violin sing once again.

Earlier this Spring, Malala Fund partnered with the Fuller Project for International Reporting to tell the story of the 15 year old, a Syrian refugee forced by the war in her home country to abandon her music school and work in a garment factory in Istanbul.

The piece, published in The New York Times, described the life, full of promise, Loury and her family left behind when they fled to Turkey. “Born to a Syrian folk dancer from Raqqua and a musician, she learned at a young age to nestle her chin onto the violin’s lower bout, draw the bow across its strings, and share her country’s heritage through music,” the article begins.

Readers and Malala Fund supporters responded with generous offers, particularly from musicians who offered to send Loury a violin, music sheets and even lessons over Skype.

#syrian refugee #music #malala #malala fund #education #inspiration

At World Humanitarian Summit, Rawdanur Asks Governments to Recognise #EducationCannotWait

Rawdanur Cuma, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, delivered a powerful message yesterday to world leaders at the first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul: “No child should be without education because her country goes to war.”

As the only young person to speak in the Education in Emergencies session, Rawdanur speaks on behalf of the tens of millions of young people whose lives are disrupted by conflict and tragedy.

The World Humanitarian Summit, organised by the United Nations, comes at a critical point in our world’s history. More people than ever before are in need of humanitarian aid, an estimated 125 million around the world. 75 million youth are missing out on their education.

#world humanitarian summit #education in emergencies #whsummit #syrian refugees #malala #malala yousafzai

This 20-year-old Syrian Girl Is a Fearless Advocate for All Refugee Children

Rawdanur Cuma has a message: “Why don’t you stop the war?”

In her powerful video, the 20-year-old Syrian refugee urges the world to help the country she loves.

Five years ago, Rawdanur and her family left her home in Idlib, a city in the northwest part of Syria. Conflict had spread across her country — her school and home bombed, her friends and dog killed, her family left with no choice but to flee.

When Rawdanur reached the Kilis Oncupinar Settlement, a refugee camp in Turkey, she wanted to continue her education. Few Arabic-language schools are available to refugees — so Rawdanur taught herself Turkish.

Dr. Selin Yildiz Nielsen, co-founder of Glocally Connected, was volunteering in the camp and remembers meeting Rawdanur. “She introduced herself and asked if she could have my phone number,” says Dr. Nielsen. “She was trying to teach herself Turkish and practice with anyone she met. She called me every night. In about two months, she was near fluent and I was amazed.”

Rawdanur would not let her circumstances prevent her — or her people — from living their lives. She used her language skills to help families arriving at the refugee camp get their ID cards, food and introduce themselves to their new neighbours.

She also helped many girls sign up for school. When parents worried their daughters would get lost on the way to class, Rawdanur would walk the girls to school every day.

Rawdanur dreamed of going to university, but thought it would be impossible while she lived in Turkey. Then the governor of Kilis, Süleyman Tapsiz, heard her story and helped her get a scholarship to a university in Gaziantep.

Since beginning university, Rawdanur has also taught herself English. She is studying political science and international relations, so that one day she can “become a good leader for my people and for my country,” she says.

Rawdanur’s family still lives in the refugee camp so she travels back and forth from school to see them on weekends and holidays.

“I had many difficulties,” she says. “But my family was always encouraging me, no matter how hard the situation got.” Her father says he wants all Rawdanur’s daughters to be educated too.

More than 60 million people are living as refugees across the world today — the highest number since World War II. Half are under 18 years old and 70% are women and girls. 75% of refugee children are not attending secondary school. Because of the refugee crisis, we’re going backwards from education — and toward deeper poverty, war, poor health and fewer opportunities for women around the world.

But Rawdanur is fighting to ensure refugee girls go to school, a problem she understands like no one else. “I had to struggle to get any educational opportunity I could grab,” she says. “I urge the nations of the world to provide opportunities for Syrian youth, especially girls. But I am still invisible to most people in the world.”

This week, at the World Humanitarian Summit, Rawdanur will not be invisible. She will address leaders, as a Malala Fund campaigner and representative for millions of refugee children around the world.

Watch on Monday, May 23rd at 9:00am (EDT), as she shares her story and asks the world to build a brighter future for all children forced to flee their homes.

#NotLost #syrian refugees #Girl Hero

Running Toward Education for Every Girl

The day was overcast and rainy, but spirits remained high on Boston College’s campus where a group of 70 runners gathered for the Strong Women Strong Girls 5k run supporting Malala Fund’s effort for girls’ education.

Strong Women Strong Girls (SWSG) is a mentoring program for girls in third through fifth grade. This is a national program, with Boston chapters at Northeastern, Harvard, Simmons, Tufts, and University of Massachusetts, Boston. The program pairs groups of girls in lower income public schools with three or four local college mentors, who meet with them weekly and teach the girls how to be strong, confident leaders in their communities.

As part of the SWSG program’s recent curriculum, students learned about Malala’s story, her leadership qualities and how they can best reflect those traits in their own lives. Two mentors from Boston College, Grace and Molly were inspired by their students reaction to Malala’s story and decided to take action in support of girls’ education. Grace explained her students, “...often don’t want to be at school. It was a reality check. It was cool to see them realize they take it for granted.” It is wonderful to know that our supporters are helping young girls be fearless, young leaders and to help them understand the value of their educational opportunities.

Both in their sophomore year of school, Grace and Molly knew a popular way of engaging students on their campus was through hosting a 5k. The event theme was all pink and all girl power. There were balloons, empowering t-shirts and all along the course Boston College women’s groups were tabling. The girls’ hope people in the Boston College community were inspired to act beyond the run and educate themselves about women’s issues. Regardless, the event was huge success raising about $1500 in support of Malala Fund’s work for girls’ education.

Education empowers girls by giving them confidence to think big and boldly their make dreams a reality. More than 63 million girls remain out of school. Join Malala in her fight to unlock that potential and get every girl in school.

There are endless ways to get involved and help support! Learn how you can take action in support of Malala’s mission to get every girl access to a full 12 years of free, safe, quality education.

#Our Supporters #WithMalala

Schoola #PassTheBag Launch

Today, more than 63 million girls around the world are out of school. You can directly help these girls go to school — and all you have to do is clean out your closet.

It’s simple! Malala Fund and Schoola are partnering to help you turn your gently used clothing into donations that empower girls through secondary education.

Watch this video to learn how it works and then request your bag to get started now.

Ready to make an impact? Request a postage-paid Schoola bag, fill it up with unwanted clothing and leave it for your mail carrier. It's easy and free, and 40% of the proceeds will go directly to Malala Fund to support girls' education — that’s $50 per bag on average. Get your Schoola bag now to make a difference for girls with your unwanted clothing.

Click here to request your bag!

PS. The more people that take action, the more girls can have the opportunity to go to school. We suggest you #PassTheBag to your community! With summer coming up, it’s a perfect time to clean out closets. Sign up to host a clothing drive in your community and Schoola will give you everything needed to get started.

#PassTheBag #Schoola

Statisticians Make the Poorest Girls Disappear

By Philippa Lei, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Malala Fund

All over the world, the children most likely to be out of school are girls in poor, rural areas. Their families and traditions may not value girls’ education, there may be no high schools nearby or they may face pressure to marry young and have children or work to support their families.

I think of those girls every day at Malala Fund, where we are committed to ensuring every girl has access to 12 years of free, safe, quality education.

Last year at the United Nations, the world committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including a promise to “ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education.”

But statisticians are now making girls in poor, rural areas invisible through the power of numbers — vanishing them into thin air like a magician’s assistant.

Countries are soon going to sign off measurements — called indicators — to track progress on the SDGs. The statisticians in charge of defining these indicators are treating millions of girls as if they don’t exist.

They are proposing to measure the following:

“Percentage of children/young people in grades two and three at the end of primary school (elementary) and at the end of lower secondary (junior high) achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics.”

Notice anything wrong with this measurement? We certainly do!

It does not measure children out of school.

It completely ignores children in upper secondary school (high school).

However, the SDG goal says we will ensure that ALL children complete primary AND secondary school — but the statisticians are only measuring children in school and not even counting those in upper secondary school.

So how will we know if we’re meeting the goal if we don’t have this data? Even non-number crunchers know the answer: we won’t.

If the statisticians succeed in their magic trick, it means millions of out of school children, mostly girls, are gone — off the global education agenda. At Malala Fund, we are urging politicians not to accept this minimalist measurement of education progress.

We want the statisticians to count all the way through high school, so we know if girls are falling off the radar after they complete primary school. And we must count not just how many children complete school but the children still out of school as well.

If we continue at our current rate of progress, it will be 100 years — a full century — before the poorest girls in remote and rural locations around the world have the chance to go to school for 12 years.

As Malala said in her Nobel acceptance speech, “The world can no longer accept that basic education is enough. Why do leaders accept that for children in developing countries, only basic literacy is sufficient, when their own children do homework in algebra and physics?”

The most disadvantaged girls and boys must remain visible to politicians, education ministers and anyone who cares about human development. We need to be reminded, on a regular basis, of the progress being made — or not — to educate these young people.

We’re working to make sure statisticians don’t disappear millions of girls — or their potential to build a brighter future for their families, communities and our world.

Join our movement to stay up to date our progress and learn how you can take action.

#malala #malala yousafzai #malala fund #sdgs

Ashoka Youth Venturer & Changemaker Katie Eder Stands #withMalala

Ashoka’s Youth Venture is teaming up with the Malala Fund to profile stories of young changemakers around the world as part of the Stand #withMalala campaign following the release of the film, HE NAMED ME MALALA.

In this latest installment, Ashoka’s Youth Venture recently interviewed young changemaker Katie Eder (KE), the American teenager who founded the organization Kids Tales. Check out her story below…

Youth Venture (YV): “There is a moment where you have to choose, whether to be silent, or stand up,” says Malala. How do you feel when you hear these words?

KE: When I was in fifth grade, I took my first writing class. And at that moment, my whole life changed. Writing gave me the chance to express myself and to have a voice. When I got to middle school, I began to realize that writing was not something most kids get to do outside of school. There are few opportunities for many students in underserved communities to write creatively, even though writing is so important in every aspect of life and empowers and inspires kids. I knew I could either sit back and do nothing, or find a way for more kids to find their voice through writing. Using my experiences from past writing classes, I started Kids Tales, kidstales.org. Kids Tales is a nonprofit venture that brings creative writing workshops to 8 to 12 year old kids around the globe that do not have access to writing experiences outside of school. During a Kids Tales workshop, kids spend one week brainstorming, writing, and editing their very own short story. At the end of the week, the stories are assembled in a collection and self-published as an anthology, a real book, on Amazon.com. Teen instructors teach all Kids Tales workshops.

YV: “I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls,” Malala says. What is your story for change-making and how do you feel it is tied to Malala or a broader movement for girls’ rights globally?

KE: Malala once said, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world.” Kids Tales is doing exactly that. One kid at a time—one story at a time, we are inspiring kids to find their voice through writing and changing the world. After seeing the impact creative writing had on the kids in our first workshops, we expanded Kids Tales. We grew from two workshops in Milwaukee in the summer of 2014, to ten workshops in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Washington DC, in the summer of 2015. We also had the opportunity to work with AFS-USA, and travel to Colombia, South America to teach a workshop. This summer, we are teaching workshops in ten cities across the United States as well as Vancouver, Guatemala, and a Refugee camp in Hungary. We want to continue to expand so every kid, in every corner of the globe, no matter who they are or where they come from, has the opportunity to tell their story and have a voice. Every kid can write. It is not that there is lack of talent among underserved kids, or a lack of talent in girls; it is that there is a lack of opportunity. Kids Tales gives kids the opportunity to tell their story, which is an experience we want to bring to more kids throughout the world.

#Youth Venture #Changemaker #withMalala #HeNamedMeMalala

20,000 People Signed Our Good Luck Card for these Syrian Refugee Girls

Last week, we asked you to sign our Good Luck card to deliver to Syrian refugee girls living in Azraq Camp in Jordan who are studying for their entrance exams. It’s a big moment — how they score on this exam will determine which universities they can apply to and if they will qualify for scholarships. We are happy to report more than 20,000 people from all over the world joined in sending them warm wishes.

On Sunday, Leila, Malala Fund Programmes Officer delivered the card when she visited the 18 girls enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 in the camp’s formal school. Knowing you are all rooting for them to succeed meant so much to the girls!

Salha, Grade 12, is preparing for her entrance exam in June and wants to study to be a pharmacist.

Fleeing conflict, most Syrian refugee children no longer have access to education. Girls in particular face heightened barriers because they are more likely to be sent to work so they can support their families or are married off by their parents who believe it is the only way to protect them.

And yet, these girls are persevering. You sent them your good luck and they want to share their stories with you — stories which would be different without the support of Malala Fund donors.

During her visit, Leila had the opportunity to spend an hour with the girls, asking them questions submitted by our generous donors. Read her powerful summary of the visit and her conversation with the girls here.

Rahaf, 17, is enrolled in Grade 12 and hopes to become an English teacher.

We know we can do more to help more Syrian refugee girls go to school. That’s why we’re focused more than ever on reducing barriers to education for Syrian refugee girls like these.

In February, Malala and Muzoon, a Syrian refugee who attended the Azraq Camp school before relocating to England in December, addressed world leaders to demand they commit to fund education for Syria refugee children. We know girls like Salha, Rahaf and Hadeel are #notlost — not if they have education.

Hadeel, 17, is enrolled in Grade 11, has one more year before her entrance exam, but she’s fears current living conditions will make it difficult to study.

We will continue to advocate on behalf of these girls and give them a platform to raise their voices. We must continue to speak out and take action for these girls. Will you help?

Join the #notlost campaign to get updates on how to take action for Syrian refugee girls’ education.

Share the photos and stories of the girls with the card you signed to help amplify their voices further.

#NotLost #Syria #Our Supporters

With Your Good Luck, These Syrian Refugee Girls Continue to Fight Barriers to Education

By Leila, Programmes Officer, Malala Fund

Rahaf, Hadeel and Salha holding the Good Luck card (left to right)

Azraq refugee camp sits out in the desert, 60 miles from Jordan’s capital of Amman. It’s miles away from the nearest town, and it feels like it is in the middle of nowhere. Driving from Amman through the barren and rocky desert – roughly an hour and a half by car – gives one plenty of time to wonder what it would be like to be forced to live in a camp with no electricity and little ability to move outside the camp.

Why is it that some have the bad fortune of finding themselves in such danger as to flee their homeland, often finding themselves in limbo – or at worst, unwanted – in a country that is not their own? What responsibility does that leave for those of us who do not face this reality?

It was clear when we approached the camp that this was Azraq: miles of white, sterile caravans (or homes) aligned in neat rows, arranged in sections or “villages.” From afar it seemed silent and abandoned. In reality the camp is in fact partly empty – it seems no Syrians want to live in the middle of the desert and miles from the nearest town.

We heard that many of its residents obtain temporary permits to leave the camp to visit family or friends and never return. If caught, the only consequence they would face would be to be forced back to Azraq.

Of the 36,000 people living in Azraq – ranging from newborns to the elderly – only 18 girls are enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 in the camp’s formal school. These girls range from age 16 to 18, and are from cities like Damascus, Homs and Daraa. They sat at their desks in pairs and as they introduced themselves they stood up straight and told us what they wanted to be: teachers, doctors, pharmacists, journalists, and nurses. A few were wearing eyeglasses provided by the support of Malala Fund, and they all looked sharp in their long, colorful dresses and headscarves.

Two of these girls are in Grade 12, and they are Tawjihi students, meaning they are currently preparing for the second of two Jordanian university entrance exams (the Tawjihi). How they score on the Tawjihi will determine which universities they can apply to and whether they obtain scholarships. The remaining 16 girls are anxiously awaiting the exams next year. In the afternoons, these girls spend a few hours at a remedial education, a homework support program provided by UNICEF and Relief International, and supported by a Malala Fund grant.

We had the privilege of spending an hour with these 18 girls along with their instructors who are also refugees from Syria and consider these girls to be their sisters. In that hour, we asked questions from Malala Fund donors, learned about their aspirations and challenges, and why education is important to them:

Hadeel, a Grade 11 student who is 17, hopes to become a journalist like her favorite writer, the Syrian novelist and journalist Ghada al-Samman. Hadeel said,

“I want to be a journalist to tell the whole world what we have witnessed in Syria. I would like to tell the world the reasons we left home in Syria. What people see on TV is not the whole truth. I want to provide more information.”

But Hadeel is anxious that her current circumstances may disadvantage her when it comes time to take her Tawjihi exams. Like other residents of Azraq she has no private space to study and no electricity, meaning she can’t study at night. “Where we live is a small caravan for a family with six members,” she said. “How can a Tawjihi student have the opportunity to study when cooking and everything else is going on in same space?”

Even if she is accepted into a good university, she still faces barriers to furthering her education. “If I don’t get a scholarship and I decide to enroll in a university, then my parents will have to work to send me to university, and of course there are restrictions on Syrians working. So where does that leave us and what are we to do?,” she said.

Rahaf, also age 17 and in Grade 11, wants to become an English teacher. She loves stories that give her hope, such as the works of Dr. Ibrahim al Faki who writes about controlling the self. She likes school because of what she learns, and because her teachers and Syrian facilitators at the remedial education center “are encouraging us and we see in them the future of Syria. They are the educated people who will come back and rebuild Syria.”

Rahaf values education for girls because she believes an educated girl can ask for her rights and negotiate more effectively with her husband. But like Hadeel, she worries that she won’t have the equal opportunity as Jordanians to continue her education after high school.

Speaking of the Tawjihi, Rahaf said: “the marks we are asked to have in order to enter the university are the same as for the Jordanians who live outside [refugee camps]. Life is very difficult in the camp.”

These girls also shared what they wished the world to know about them and their families, a popular question submitted by Malala Fund donors. Zaynab, 17, shared, “We are people who love knowledge and peace and self-improvement.”

At the end of our time together, I shared the Good Luck card with them. The girls seemed touched knowing that over 20,000 people around the world were rooting for them.

Malala Fund donors have lent their support to the remedial program that’s helping these girls to prepare for entrance exams — and over 20,000 of you signed the Good Luck card telling them that you believe in them.

But our work isn’t done yet. We must do more to help Syrian refugee girls who aren’t studying. And we must do more to help girls like these — who still face unacceptable barriers to pursuing their futures. Learn more about how you can support girls’ secondary education programmes, fund global advocacy efforts and help Syrian refugee girls get back to school.

#notlost #syria

Malala’s Open Letter to Parents of the Kidnapped Chibok Girls

Tomorrow, April 14, is the two year anniversary of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping —when Boko Haram took 276 girls in Northern Nigeria from the comforts of friends, family and school. While some girls escaped, more than 219 are still captives of Boko Haram or have been married off as child brides. These girls remain in our hearts and every corner of our work.

Dear mothers and fathers,

I write this letter with a heavy heart, knowing you have endured another year separated from your daughters. I think of you every day since we first met two years ago -- and join millions of people around the world in praying for the safety and swift return of your girls.

As I did last year, I call on President Buhari of Nigeria -- and everyone who can help rescue the Chibok girls -- to act now. Would a president give up the fight for his own daughter? These girls are just as precious to their families.

Parents, thank you for having the courage to send your daughters to school. My dream is that one day they will come home, finish their education and choose their futures for themselves.

I pray for the day when you can embrace your girls again.

Your sister, Malala

Let’s work together to ensure a future where all girls can learn for 12 years and lead without fear. Stand #withMalala and take action.

Gamers for Girls’ Education

“I was a soldier in Afghanistan during the conflict. I saw girls trying to go to school and I saw violent attacks on those schools. This is something devastating I saw and I want to help these girls. They deserve an education and they want it so badly.” Beth Barnes is an extraordinary woman who has taken a traumatizing experience abroad and used it as motivation to create a better world by rallying The Secret World community of online gamers to advocate for girls’ education.

Two original prints featured in the art book TSW created as a gift to donors.

An active member of The Secret World (TSW) gaming community, Beth realized that the gaming world is an often untapped or overlooked community of changemakers and the perfect place to start raising her voice for girls. The Secret World is a massively multiplayer online role-playing video game by Norwegian video game developer creator Funcom. Though gameplay, social media and hosting podcasts Beth began telling people about Malala’s story and explaining the issues surrounding girls’ education.

After receiving overwhelming support, Beth created an original digital art book featuring prints of characters from TSW as incentive for people to donate to her TSW Malala Project fundraising page. Beth began by reaching out to well known comic book artists and online artists through DevianArt, teaching them about Malala and asking them to consider donating their time and art to the project. Fifteen people from around the world helped put the final book together. “[The art] embodies the spirit of this project and it was amazing watching this vision catching fire,” said Beth. “It was a phenomenal response all done by word of mouth without any corporate sponsorship. Players jumped on Twitch to raise money and were constantly coming up with all sorts of ideas to help.”

Creativity is boundless — use yours to rally those around you to do good. Just imagine how much change you could effect if your whole community raised its voice for the more than 60 million girls who are currently not able to attend school.

Beth’s mission was to raise $10,000, but thanks to tireless efforts of the TSW community, the group surpassed its goal after final boost of support from Funcom and ended their campaign at an impressive total of $11,319. What an amazing achievement! Beth is thrilled with how the campaign played out and plans to dedicate even more of her time to helping girls on the ground go to school.

Our passionate supporters continue to amaze us. Beth’s story proves once more, that a single voice has the capacity to inspire an entire community to act! Malala Fund is tremendously thankful to all who participated in the TSW Malala Project efforts and those around the world who actively work in tandem with our mission to provide every girl a full 12 years of safe, quality education. Learn more about different ways you can take action today!

#withMalala #our supporters

#NotLost: Time for action for Syria’s children

By Philippa Lei, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Malala Fund

On the fifth anniversary of the Syria conflict, we’re taking a deep dive into the technical details of funding to educate Syria’s children. Read below to find out where we stand today and what needs to happen next.

Six weeks ago, Malala and Muzoon Almellehan spoke at the Supporting Syria conference in London. Their message was clear: Syria’s future is #notlost — not yet, not if world leaders invest in children right now.

They called on donor countries — some of the world’s wealthiest nations — to give $ 1.4 billion USD a year to educate the 3.5 million Syrian children who are out of school or whose education is at risk and not leave less wealthy refugee host countries to bear most of the burden.

In February, Malala Fund asked leaders to make this the year in which all Syrian children affected by the conflict went back to school — to make this the year the world stands with Syria’s children and honours their determination to continue learning so that they might one day rebuild their country.

The conference delivered, but only in part: nearly half of the $1.4 billion was raised for education this year.

Five countries — Germany, the UK, Norway, Qatar and Luxembourg — made commitments to education that went beyond their fair share. The United States came close, committing $290 million for education in 2016, against a fair share ask of $317 million.

Though not earmarking funding specifically for education, Finland identified it as a priority and met its fair share for the overall response. Others — France, Japan and Italy — noted education as a priority but fell short in their overall commitments. Some, like Russia, who arguably have the resources and responsibility to contribute to aid efforts in the region were noticeable by their absence.

As Malala said, the money pledged to education at the conference represented “a powerful down payment towards ensuring Syria’s children are not a generation lost.”

But six weeks on from the conference, there are troubling signs that the sense of urgency is disappearing and a growing concern that countries may not fulfill their promises.

New analysis from Development Initiatives, commissioned by Malala Fund, shows that only 11% of the funds pledged for the overall 2016 Syria response at the conference — just $680 million of $5.9 billion — have been recorded on the UN’s Financial Tracking System (FTS). Of this, only $304 million is recorded as “committed.”

This number represents the amount of promises made at the February conference that have become binding contributions — an important designation because it allows agencies to begin spending money to put response plans in place.

Simply put, money committed means children can start going back to school. But only 5% of what wealthy nations pledged in February to help Syrians has been committed in the six weeks since they made their promises.

Due to the way data is recorded on the FTS, it is impossible to tell exactly how much has been committed specifically to education since the conference. But, whichever way you cut it, the figure undoubtedly falls short of the $1.4 billion needed to get all children into school by the end of the 2016 / 2017 school year. Just $4.5 million is recorded specifically for the education sector. $51.4 million is identified as “multi-sector,” of which a proportion will be for education.

Of the donors who made strong education commitments in February, only the United States and Germany have so far committed funding for the Syria response through the UN FTS, with the US contributing over 75% of funds committed since the conference.

Given the protracted nature of the Syria crisis and the need for a longer-term international response, the Supporting Syria Conference sought to elicit both increased short-term humanitarian and longer-term development funding from donors. Consequently, not all funding pledged at the conference was humanitarian and therefore is not expected to appear on the FTS. However, there is a considerable and worrying shortfall between humanitarian funding pledged, both overall and for education, and funding reported to date.

Since the Supporting Syria conference, we’ve seen very few additional funding commitments to the response overall and to education in particular, whether from humanitarian or development aid.

The lack of new commitments and failure to quickly deliver money promised in February is worrying for a number of reasons.

First, we know from past humanitarian appeals that the majority of funding from donors is committed in the first six months of the year. If we don’t see significant new commitments in the next few months, we are likely to be left with only half the funding we need for education this year.

Second, in order to address current need quickly and put in place quality education provision for all Syrian children by the end of the 2016 / 2017 school year, education funding needs to be delivered as soon possible so the necessary investments in things like school buildings, textbooks and teachers can be made.

Finally, the majority of education-specific commitments made at the Supporting Syria conference were in support of Syrian refugee children living in Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon. But 2.1 million Syrian remain out of school within Syria itself. Specific commitments to meet the education needs of these children were notably absent in February. $516 million has been identified as the annual amount needed to fill this gap. The FTS records just $4.5 million having been committed since the conference – less than 1% of what is needed.

One thing is clear: the international community cannot sleepwalk through the sixth year of conflict. Now is not a time for donor fatigue but a time for accelerated action to disrupt the cycle of violence and guard the hope that lies in Syria’s children.

Additional Resources:

Development Initiatives Funding Overview

#NotLost Report

#syrian refugees #withsyria #malala

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