COVID-19 Initiative

Nearly 130 million girls were out of school before the pandemic.
And another
20 million more
girls may never return to school once it subsides.
YOU CAN HELP
Support Malala Fund’s efforts to keep girls learning.
I never thought that the coronavirus, which I was reading [about] in newspapers in January and February, would create such havoc around the world and that my life would be affected so much.”
— Samagya, grade eight, India

COVID-19 is creating a global education crisis. Girls and young women are the first to leave school and the last to return.

Thousands of young people my age are studying at home who don’t have access to a computer and internet ... or don’t have a quiet place to concentrate.”
— Cailane, grade 12, Brazil
I went to school but now I'm sitting at home.”
— Shazia, grade seven, Pakistan
Covid-19 initiative

Our Priorities

“Our goal should not be a return to the way things were but instead a renewed commitment to the way the world should be, a place where every girl can learn and lead.”
— Malala Yousafzai

Over the next three years, Malala Fund will focus our work on the following objectives to address the immediate and long-term implications of the pandemic on girls’ education.

Our Priorities
COVID-19 Initiative
Our Priorities

1

Keep girls learning through school closures.

2

Reenrol girls to catch up on missed lessons.

3

Support teachers with resources and training needed to deliver quality education.

4

Strengthen education systems against future crises.

5

Ensure girls' physical and psychological well-being in the classroom.
Covid-19 initiative

Our Immediate Response

Here’s how Malala Fund is working to ensure every girl can learn and lead

Partnering with local organisations

Almost 90% of the world’s countries shut their schools in efforts to slow the transmission of COVID-19. For most students, school closures are temporary. They have access to quality education and distance learning; their education and ambitions for the future will continue after the crisis.

But Malala Fund’s research shows an estimated 20 million girls in low- and lower-middle-income countries may never return to the classroom.

Right now, girls in the world’s most vulnerable communities are not able to access quality education and distance learning opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately affect these girls and young women now and for years to come. In response, Malala Fund is supporting organisations in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan to keep girls learning. In addition to the partners listed below, Malala Fund is also supporting Lebanese Alternative Learning (LAL) to develop training courses for educators on remote teaching in Lebanon.

Brazil

No. of girls impacted
(all grade levels)
26.6
m

In Brazil, our strategy centres on monitoring state and national education budgets, establishing protocols for safe school reopenings and addressing violence and abuse against girls.

Days since school closed
March 11, 2020
No. of girls impacted (all grade levels)
26.6
m
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
1.5
m
No. of teachers impacted
Our priorities
2
3
4
5
local partners

Campanha Nacional pelo Direito à Educação (Campanha)

Centro de Cultura Luiz Freire (CCLF), Centro Dom Helder Câmara de Estudos e Ação Social (CENDHEC) and Centro de Mulheres do Cabo (CMC)

Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos (INESC)

Movimento das Mulheres Trabalhadoras Rurais de Pernambuco (MMTR-PE)

Nossas

Odara

local partners
Campanha Nacional pelo Direito à Educação (Campanha) 

Campanha will advocate for two policies that will ensure girls can reenrol in school and access quality education free from gender-based discrimination. The organisation will train girls to educate their communities about the importance of these policy changes and advocate for their implementation. Campanha will also publish research on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Brazil’s education system.

Centro de Cultura Luiz Freire (CCLF), Centro Dom Helder Câmara de Estudos e Ação Social (CENDHEC) and Centro de Mulheres do Cabo (CMC)

This joint project will raise awareness about the impact of COVID-19 on girls’ education in Pernambuco and develop recommendations to state and municipal education departments and councils for safe school reopening. Trained girl activists will also monitor municipal governments’ plans for addressing the pandemic in schools. 

Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos (INESC)

INESC will track federal and state education budget allocations to ensure they dedicate adequate resources to the pandemic response and develop strategies for how to effectively advocate for girls’ education during a health crisis.

Movimento das Mulheres Trabalhadoras Rurais de Pernambuco (MMTR-PE)

MMTR-PE will conduct assessments of eight public schools in rural Pernambuco state on their reopening conditions. The organisation will also train girls and teachers on safety protocols and advocate for improved public policies before in-person classes resume.

Nossas

Nossas will train Brazilian girls to build their own social campaigns to target decision-makers and advocate for change in their schools, with a focus on how COVID-19 has impacted their education.

Odara

In Salvador and Recife, Odara will hold workshops, publish stories and collect data to address racial and gender-based violence — which has increased during the pandemic — and improve Black girls’ enrolment and retention rates.

Days since school closed
March 11, 2020
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
1.5
m
No. of teachers impacted

In Brazil, our strategy centres on monitoring state and national education budgets, establishing protocols for safe school reopenings and addressing violence and abuse against girls.

Ethiopia

No. of girls impacted
(all grade levels)
11.5
m

In Ethiopia, we are working to reduce social and economic barriers affecting girls’ enrolment and retention rates by advocating for gender-responsive education funding and policies and providing girls with alternative learning, reenrolment and catch-up support during and after the pandemic.

Days since school closed
May 13, 2020
No. of girls impacted (all grade levels)
11.5
m
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
1.8
m
No. of teachers impacted
430
k
Our priorities
1
2
4
local partners

Center of Concern

Center for Justice  

Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) with Amhara Women's Associations (AWA), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) 

Siiqqee Women's Development Association (SWDA)

local partners
Center of Concern

In 16 secondary schools, Center of Concern will help students learn during school closures, aid girls in returning to school after they reopen and improve retention rates. They will also work to reduce gender-based violence and inequality in Ethiopia through awareness-raising measures. 

Center for Justice

As rates of abduction, forced marriage and gender-based violence increase during the pandemic, Center for Justice will work in the rural communities in Dire Enchini district to protect girls and ensure they reenrol or remain in school. 

Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) with Amhara Women's Associations (AWA), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) 

In a joint project, Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) will work with three of its members — Amhara Women's Associations (AWA), Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) — to offer girls catch-up programmes during and after the pandemic and conduct an enrolment campaign when schools reopen. NEWA will also train girls to lead safe space clubs and help their peers access counselling and learn about sexual reproductive health, gender-based violence and early marriage. At the national level, NEWA will also advocate for gender-responsive education funding and policies to make it easier for girls to complete their education.

Siiqqee Women's Development Association (SWDA)

SWDA will provide academic and psychosocial support to 350 girls ages 14-18 at risk of dropping out to help them reenrol once schools reopen, offering specialised learning materials for girls with disabilities. SWDA will also open safe space centres for girls to discuss issues like sexual health and gender-based violence. 

Days since school closed
May 13, 2020
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
1.8
m
No. of teachers impacted
430
k

In Ethiopia, we are working to reduce social and economic barriers affecting girls’ enrolment and retention rates by advocating for gender-responsive education funding and policies and providing girls with alternative learning, reenrolment and catch-up support during and after the pandemic.

India

No. of girls impacted
(all grade levels)
158
m

Our work in India focuses on girls’ mental and physical health and safety during school closures so they can return to school. We will also ensure reopening plans address specific needs for girls, help them catch up on missed lessons and equip teachers with the tools and skills they need to return to the classroom.

Days since school closed
April 23, 2020
No. of girls impacted (all grade levels)
158
m
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
18
m
No. of teachers impacted
Our priorities
1
2
4
3
5
local partners

Breakthrough Trust

CARE India

Child Rights and You (CRY)

HAQ: Centre for Child Rights

Student Partnership Worldwide India Project Trust (Restless Development)

Council for Social Development (RTE Forum)

Urmul Rural Health Research and Development Trust

local partners
Breakthrough Trust

Breakthrough will help the most vulnerable adolescent girls in India reenrol in school and catch up on missed learning. The organisation will train girls to identify and address different forms of gender-based discrimination, building girls’ agency, self-esteem, leadership and negotiation skills so that they can advocate for their rights and needs. 

CARE India

CARE India will ensure that middle schools in Nuh district in Haryana have safe and secure learning environments that promote social-emotional well-being and help marginalised adolescent girls continue their education. The organisation also plans to help the state and district education departments develop norms and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. 

Child Rights and You (CRY)

CRY will teach marginalised girls in Lakhimpur district in Uttar Pradesh academic and life skills. The organisation will also promote gender sensitivity among parents and prepare schools to respond to girls’ safety concerns and educational needs during and after the pandemic. 

Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion (CSEI)

CSEI will partner with community organisations to create learning opportunities for Dalit and Muslim girls and help them gain self-confidence so they can advocate for themselves within their families and communities. 

HAQ: Centre for Child Rights

HAQ Center will create safe spaces for girls where trained community workers and teachers will encourage them to continue their education and help them build mental health resilience. The organisation also plans to conduct an analysis of national government teacher trainings and propose improvements so that teachers can better support students’ psychosocial needs. 

Student Partnership Worldwide India Project Trust (Restless Development)

Restless Development will work with teachers and schools in Bihar to implement a gender-responsive curriculum that teaches girls confidence, negotiation and resilience. The organisation will also support back-to-school campaigns led by young people and create mechanisms for girls to hold leadership accountable to their commitments to girls. 

Council for Social Development (RTE Forum)

RTE Forum teaches girls leadership skills so they can advocate for girls’ education in their villages and schools as well as in state and national forums. 

Urmul Rural Health Research and Development Trust

Urmul Trust will provide girls with quality online educational resources, connect them with open schools in their areas and offer community-based support to help them reenrol. The organisation will educate community members on the importance of girls’ education and the opportunities digital learning solutions provide. Urmul Trust will also train a group of young activists who will work as digital learning ambassadors. 

Days since school closed
April 23, 2020
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
18
m
No. of teachers impacted

Our work in India focuses on girls’ mental and physical health and safety during school closures so they can return to school. We will also ensure reopening plans address specific needs for girls, help them catch up on missed lessons and equip teachers with the tools and skills they need to return to the classroom.

Nigeria

No. of girls impacted
(all grade levels)
18.5
m

Our work in Nigeria focuses on securing national and state funding for education, ensuring school reopening plans are gender-inclusive and protecting the mental wellbeing of girls during a period of school closures so they are able to return.

Days since school closed
June 9, 2020
No. of girls impacted (all grade levels)
18.5
m
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
6
m
No. of teachers impacted
~
1.1
m
Our priorities
1
2
3
5
local partners

ACE Charity

Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA)

Hallmark Leadership Initiative (HALI)

Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)

local partners
ACE Charity

ACE Charity works with teachers to develop and broadcast distance learning radio programmes, which the organisation is piloting through the end of the school year. Each 30-minute segment covers literacy, numeracy or STEM and airs on select stations three times a week in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa and Borno states.

Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA)

The CSACEFA — a coalition of nongovernmental organisations, teachers’ unions and women’s groups in Nigeria — will lead public awareness campaigns about girls’ right to education to ensure communities support girls returning to school after the pandemic. 

Hallmark Leadership Initiative (HALI)

Based in northeast Nigeria, HALI will help displaced girls in Borno state access alternative learning programmes and reenrol in school once it is safe. The organisation will also work to strengthen education systems so they are more resilient to future shocks.

Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)

WRAPA will work in schools in Abuja to create a model for gender-responsive reopening plans, including accelerated learning programmes to help girls catch up on missed lessons and prepare for postponed exams. 

Days since school closed
June 9, 2020
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
6
m
No. of teachers impacted
~
1.1
m

Our work in Nigeria focuses on securing national and state funding for education, ensuring school reopening plans are gender-inclusive and protecting the mental wellbeing of girls during a period of school closures so they are able to return.

Pakistan

No. of girls impacted
(all grade levels)
20.7
m

In Pakistan, we are working to prevent rollbacks in education funding and promote digital learning in communities and schools.

Days since school closed
June 1, 2020
No. of girls impacted (all grade levels)
20.7
m
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
12
m
No. of teachers impacted
Our priorities
1
2
4
3
5
local partners

AzCorp

Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)

Idara‐e‐Taleem‐o‐Aagahi (ITA)

Indus Resource Centre (IRC) 

Mechanism for Rational Change (MERC)

Orenda

Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA)

Mera Sabaq Learning Systems (SABAQ)

local partners
AzCorp

AzCorp will make its popular “Sheeba and the Private Detectives” audio series more widely available to children aged 6-13 in hard-to-reach areas so they can continue learning during school closures.

Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)

CERP will expand access to its digital learning platform, IlmExchange, allowing girls from low-income households in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh to learn from home. Once schools reopen, CERP will help teachers adapt their lessons based on students’ learning levels in the platform and implement a remedial education programme to help them catch up. The organisation will also use data from the platform to map students’ learning losses as a result of the COVID-19 crisis so that schools and teachers can address these educational gaps.

Idara‐e‐Taleem‐o‐Aagahi (ITA)

ITA will provide home-based learning, catch-up classes and psychosocial counselling for the most marginalised adolescent girls. The organisation will also provide schools with necessary health, safety and hygiene information as well as the technological resources to ensure the protection and safety of students. ITA will also build teachers’ capacity to create gender-responsive curriculums, use education technology and teach life skills.

Indus Resource Centre (IRC)

IRC will work with 30 schools in Jamshoro district, Sindh to train adolescent girls to speak out and enable school staff and community members to create more girl-friendly learning environments so girls enrol and remain in school. 

Mechanism for Rational Change (MERC)

By advocating to build computer labs in girls’ schools, MERC seeks to normalise girls’ computer and internet usage. It will also select 100 “Change Ambassadors,” young women who will participate in the organisation’s mentorship programme and learn skills in advocacy, data-driven campaigns, community mobilisation and gender equity.

Orenda

Orenda will add curricula for more grade levels to its digital learning app, Taleemabad, so that children unable to attend school can study at home.

Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA)

PYCA will launch an intensive 15-month multi-media campaign encouraging provincial and federal governments to maintain spending for girls’ education despite the economic consequences of COVID-19. Through print, digital and social media, the organisation will reach almost four million individuals.

Mera Sabaq Learning Systems (SABAQ)

SABAQ will develop and test a model that will allow girls’ public schools in Sindh to use technology-assisted teaching and learning at the primary level. By developing this model with the Sindh education and literacy department, SABAQ will help support distance learning, address educational gaps and improve learning outcomes for girls.

Days since school closed
June 1, 2020
Current status
still closed
open
Girls out of school before COVID-19
~
12
m
No. of teachers impacted

In Pakistan, we are working to prevent rollbacks in education funding and promote digital learning in communities and schools.

Covid-19 initiative

Building Resistance

Our Global and National Advocacy

As governments and donor countries determine priorities and devise budgets to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, Malala Fund’s focus is on protecting progress for girls’ education and ensuring it is central to rebuilding efforts.

We are calling on governments to:
  • Keep girls learning and protected from harm
  • Protect and increase education spending
  • Build education systems back to be gender-equal

Read the latest updates

Read the latest updates on our advocacy work.

Our Research and Learning

In partnership with our Education Champions, Malala Fund conducted a rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on girls’ education in the most marginalised communities in Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. These reports, co-authored with Malala Fund in-country representatives and Education Champions, offer firsthand accounts of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic from girls and their families.