Giving Compass' Take:

• Tess Thomas explains the essential role of education leaders in increasing education access for girls around the world. 

• How can funders best engage education leaders? What is the role of cultural expectations in shaping the work of education leaders? 

• Learn more about why girls are often left behind in education. 

“If one girl with an education can change the world, what can 130 million do?”

Malala posed this question at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event in New York this fall. The event brought together changemakers from around the world to discuss how to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of goals that United Nations member states pledged to achieve by 2030 — they include ending poverty, eliminating hunger and seeing every child in school.

Malala stated that girls’ education is essential to achieving every SDG: “None of the goals we’re discussing today — not a single one — can be accomplished unless we educate girls.”

Studies show that girls’ education has the power to grow economies, improve the air we breathe, cut in half the risk of violent conflict and advance public health.

But with more than 130 million girls out of school today, there is no easy solution. The barriers to girls’ education differ between communities and countries. This is why Malala believes that local activists and educators are best placed to develop solutions.

Read the full article about girls' education leaders by Tess Thomas at Malala Fund.