ABU DHABI // The Abu Dhabi Festival has donated Dh368,000 to the Malala Fund for Girls’ Education in Egypt.
The cash was given with a pledge that the festival would work closely with Unesco – the sponsor of the fund – in future.
The fund was set up in December last year after an assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for campaigning for the right to attend school.
The project aims to improve access to education for women and girls and to prevent them from dropping out before secondary education.
“Education is the key to a greater future and we hope that this donation will enable girls and women to experience a better tomorrow,” said Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
“We are proud to support such a worthy cause but most importantly ... establish a strategic partner who has the ability to make a difference in bettering the lives of so many, as we look at new ways to collaborate and support one another in the future.”
The donation, raised from the festival’s box-office takings, follows Malala’s visit to the UAE last week to thank the country for supporting her.
The UAE sent a medical team and an air ambulance to transfer Malala from Pakistan to the UK, where her wounds were treated.
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