Malala Teams Up With Apple to Support Girls’ Education

Last weekend, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai met in Beirut, Lebanon to announce a new partnership. Together, Apple and the Malala Fund will combine their resources and influence to provide education to underprivileged girls in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. The goal of this new initiative is to supply primary school education to 100,000 girls—and, hopefully, many more.

Yousafzai, who only recently joined Twitter, retweeted Cook’s announcement on Monday, adding that she was grateful for Apple’s support and hopeful for the impact they could make on so many communities.

I am grateful to my friend Tim and @Apple for investing in our dream of a world where every girl can choose her own future. Together we will support the incredible girls we met in Beirut and millions like them around the world. https://t.co/nMm8aOuQVy

— Malala (@Malala) January 22, 2018

Yousafzai, who started the Malala Fund in 2013, became famous at age 11 after advocating for her own right to education under Taliban rule in Pakistan. Since being shot by a member of the Taliban on the way to school, Yousafzai has become an advocate for female education everywhere.

The Malala Fund strives to provide every young girl 12 years of primary school education with funding from various private and governmental organizations.  There are still 130 million girls in the world unable to receive an education. The safety, quality and financial support provided by the Malala Fund is an ever-growing asset to our global community.

Although a specific donation amount has not been specified, Apple’s contribution will double the amount of grants that the Malala Fund currently offers. The added support from Apple means that the fund can extend its reach to create new programs in India and Latin America. Apple is promising to provide support for technology and research in order to shape curriculum and inform policy changes.

January has been a big month for Yousafzai. It was announced last week that the women’s rights advocate will speak at The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this month alongside world leaders and influencers. Some include Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, United States President Donald Trump, and actress and refugee advocate Cate Blanchette. Yousafzai will address equal access education for people around the world on a panel with Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.