Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai marked her 28th birthday with a meaningful visit to Tanzania, where she met girls and activists striving to secure their right to education. This trip, her first to the country, underscores the Malala Fund’s ongoing efforts to advance girls’ secondary education in East Africa.
During her visit, Malala engaged with local educators and students, reflecting on her own journey as a young girl in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. “The classroom was my sanctuary,” she shared in an Instagram post. “When extremists banned girls’ education, my friends and I fought back. Today, being with these Tanzanian girls reminded me why this movement must continue.”
A key focus of her trip was a school program helping teenage mothers resume their studies—a critical need in Tanzania, where two in five girls marry before 18 and over 25% become mothers by 19. Since 2022, the Malala Fund has supported this initiative, which provides mentorship, mental health services, and school supplies, benefiting over 400 girls.
Malala emphasized that global progress in girls’ education remains fragile, with millions still out of school due to poverty, child marriage, and gender discrimination. Her visit not only celebrated local resilience but also reinforced the urgency of policy reforms and community-led solutions. As she turns 28, her message is clear: “Every girl deserves hope. Every girl deserves a classroom.”