A night for Malala

Prefects at Oxford High School held a fundraising event in honour of the celebrated campaigner for female education

It was an electric night at Oxford High School when the parents of Malala Yousafzai – the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate, campaigner and activist for female education – attended a fundraising event in aid of the fund founded in her name.

L to R: OHS Charity Prefects Claudia, Amina and Alice with Ziauddin Yousafzai

Ziauddin and Toor Pekai Yousafzai, were special guests for the event organised entirely by Oxford High’s charity prefects Amina, Alice and Claudia.

The invited audience watched the Oscar-shortlisted documentary He Named Me Malala before Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is a co-founder and board member of the Malala Fund,  joined a panel discussion about the importance of girls’ education. Other guest panellist included Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO of the Girls’ Day School Trust, a powerful advocate and active champion of girls’ education, and Gemma Mortensen, OHS alumna and currently Co-Founder and Vice Chair of More in Common, the charity launched in the wake of Jo Cox’s death.

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L to R: Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO, GDST, Helen Stringer, Head Oxford High School, Amina, Claudia, Alice, OHS Charity prefects, Ziauddin and Toor Pekai Yousafzai, and Gemma Mortensen

Alice said:

“As pupils at Oxford High School, we have all been given an education which we don’t think we will ever fully appreciate. But because of our education we have been given a voice. We’ve been given the ability to think for ourselves, and this is one of the most fundamental aspects that we believe still needs improving in some areas of women’s education.”

Dr Helen Stringer, Head of Oxford High, said:

“I am hugely proud of the young women I see here every day seeking to make change. Having experienced the force of Malala’s story as a motivator to action, Alice, Amina and Claudia chose to act to support the millions of girls worldwide who are still denied an education. In the true spirit of Oxford High School, staff backed their ambitious plan and the result is what promises to be a hugely successful fundraiser for Malala Fund, providing vital money to lift many more girls out of a life without prospects. By such efforts, I am sure we will see girls learning without limits become a global reality.”