The future is female
These girls aren’t waiting to become adults to lead.
Here at Malala Fund, we know that girls’ voices are our strongest weapon in the fight for girls’ education. Everyday we hear from our supporters around the world who are doing incredible work in their communities. We wanted to share a few of their stories:
Viviana, age 12, Mexico
12-year-old Viviana — who calls herself “Malala’s biggest fan” — started an initiative to raise environmental awareness in children across Mexico. Through Salvemos el Planeta (Saving the Planet), Viviana holds weekly recreation activities for youth in at-risk communities. Programming includes lectures, mural paintings and volunteer opportunities. In recognition of her her work, Viviana won Premio Niño Emprendedor para Niños en Acción UDEM InverCap, a child entrepreneur award. She received 50,000 pesos in grant money for Salvemos el Planeta.
Viviana believes that environmental education isn’t just important for the planet, it also helps provide children with an alternative to the “violence and drugs” that are problems in these communities. Malala’s story inspires Viviana to “never to give up” — we know you will continue to do amazing work with Salvemos el Planeta!
Lucia, age 19, Argentina
Through her work with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts (WAGGGS), Lucia helps empowers young women in her Argentinian community. “For too long, women have been trampled upon,” she says, “Through education, they become more confident and stand up for themselves.” The WAGGGS training programmes she attends, like “Raise Your Voice” and “Free to be me,” teach girls skills to become leaders and engaged citizens of the world.
Lucia joined WAGGGS at the age of 5 and is now a leader in her group. Lucia first heard of Malala while attending a session about advocates around the world who embody the ideals of a girl guide — Malala was one of the examples. Lucia is currently studying at university and hopes to become a copy-editor one day.
Melanie, age 12, Canada
Earlier this year in school, 12-year-old Melanie had to write a paper about her hero — and she chose to write about Malala. Most of her classmates wrote about their parents, but Melanie says she picked Malala because she “is really inspiring because she went through so much at just a young age.”
This April, Malala visited Canada as part of her Girl Power Trip and became the youngest person to address to the Canadian Parliament. At the invitation of her MP Andrew Leslie, Melanie got to watch in person while Malala gave her speech. Melanie first heard of Malala while watching television with her grandfather and said it was “super cool” to be see her in person.
Melanie says she really values her education because not everyone gets that opportunity. Her favorite class is science because she likes seeing what makes chemical reactions.
Ana Luz, age 12, Mexico
Ana Luz sent a Girl Power Trip postcard to Malala from Mexico City. As a young activist herself, Ana Luz is inspired by Malala’s example. She is particularly passionate about the conservation of the Mexican vaquita marina, a critically endangered porpoise species native to Mexico. Ana Luz is actively involved in efforts to save the Mexican vaquita marina and spoke on a local radio station about her efforts. Sometimes she feels frustrated that people don’t always listen to her because she is a girl. However, we know that Ana Luz will continue raising her voice for important causes. As Malala said, “I used to think I had to wait to be an adult to lead. But I’ve learned that even a child’s voice can be heard around the world.”
