What’s on the line for #GivingTuesday
The earthquake in Mexico damaged Alma’s community, putting her future at risk
On #GivingTuesday, I will be making phone calls to Malala Fund supporters like you to say thanks for your commitment to girls like Alma.
When I met 16-year-old Alma on my trip to Mexico, she told me that a few years ago she cleaned houses to pay for school. Now thanks to a scholarship, she no longer has to work and can focus on her studies.
“My mother only went to school until fifth grade and now washes people’s clothes to survive,” Alma said. “The money is often not enough.” Alma knows her education will provide a better life for her and her mother, a future where, “we can afford our bread every day.”
In Alma’s indigenous community in Oaxaca, girls face many challenges to going to school — poverty, machismo culture, child marriage and teen pregnancy.
Then in September, a magnitude 8.4 earthquake struck Alma’s village — destroying homes, damaging schools and making it even harder for girls to focus on their studies.
That’s why Malala Fund is supporting scholarships, tutoring programmes and temporary housing for Alma and her classmates in Oaxaca — so the earthquake damage won’t disrupt their education.
I believe Alma and millions of other young women around the world are our hope for a better future.
Will you join me and donate to Malala Fund on #GivingTuesday?
