Malala Fund’s Parampreet Singh and Pura’s Lindsey Kneuven on the Urgency of Girls’ Education

This morning at Hearst’s Female Force summit, hosted in partnership with HearstLab, leaders across industries gathered to spotlight women entrepreneurs and change-makers. Among the conversations was a timely discussion on girls’ education, global partnership, and what meaningful impact actually looks like in practice.

ELLE senior digital director Claire Stern Milch moderated a panel with Parampreet Singh, chief external affairs officer at Malala Fund, and Lindsey Kneuven, chief impact officer at Pura. Together, they unpacked the urgency behind Malala Fund’s mission, the realities facing girls in countries like Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, and Brazil, and how corporate partnerships can move beyond optics to drive lasting change.

From sobering statistics (122 million girls are currently out of school worldwide) to firsthand stories of young mothers returning to classrooms, the conversation centered on durability, humility, and hope. As Singh put it: “Investing in girls is not just about individual transformation, but systemic change.”

Here are some important takeaways from the conversation.

Lindsey Kneuven, Parampreet Singh, and Claire Stern Milch.

On the scale (and urgency) of the global education crisis

Parampreet Singh: “There are 122 million girls currently out of school around the world and that number, unfortunately, is growing. Malala Fund exists to address that harm being done to girls and their communities because when girls are out of school, it’s not just those girls who suffer, it’s their families, it’s their communities, it’s their countries. We have a mission to really invest in partners.”

Lindsey Kneuven: “We believe education is one of the most powerful fulcrums for change, and we obviously understand the power of girls’ education. We looked to Malala Fund as a leader in this field, an organization that was doing this work directly with local leaders, which is surprisingly difficult to find in this space. We wanted to find a way to invest our funds most directly in the communities that are impacted by these challenges.”

On uplifting girls around the world

PS: “Something I really appreciate about the approach of Pura, is that it’s really focused on investment. Pura is not the star of the show, the girls are the star of the show. And they’re not objects of change; they’re agents of change. It’s really centering the people who are closest to the problem. Let’s invest in them. They’re the people whose voices need to be uplifted and they’re the ones who can center girls in the decisions that are made that will ultimately benefit them.”

LK: “I had the opportunity to go to Nigeria and Tanzania…we were collecting stories from the girls, asking them what they wanted to tell the world. We met some of the local leaders who are driving these programs, who have founded organizations that Malala Fund partners with. I think that the incredible thing is you see the creativity and innovation driving local solutions. You have the individual girls who are young mothers who have maybe started a sewing business. We met a young woman named Mama Kuku, who started a chicken farm. Kuku means “chicken” in Swahili. She was telling her story and sharing that story with other young girls to show them that it’s not just a concept, it’s an actionable path.”

“When you invest in a girl’s education, you’re not just investing in that one girl,” Singh shared.

On the importance of community

PS: “I was in Nigeria late last year, and I had the incredible privilege to go and do a site visit with one of our partners in northern Nigeria … Sitting on those mud floors and watching these girls learn, the thirst in their eyes, the hunger that they had to absorb everything that could be offered to them. And also being able to see some of the trades that they were being trained on so that they could make money, and make a living to support their families. It was really inspiring because I think that’s hope in action.”

LK: “I think these innovations, these very curated solutions, have more durability, but they also give personality. That multi-pronged approach, the comprehensive strategy that hits the education, the behavior change, and then the actions and that support system—community-based support—is really critical and also unique to your model.”

On the barriers we still face

PS: “When children are married very young, when girls are married very young, their health outcomes are poorer, their earning potential is virtually nonexistent or at least very low, their potential is essentially stifled. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has essentially made it illegal for girls who are 12 years old and over to go to school. It’s a crime to go to school. It’s not just about one individual girl, it’s about changing systems, changing laws, changing norms in a way that is sustainable and can affect not just one girl, not just 10 girls, but hundreds and potentially thousands of girls at the same time.”

LK: “Right now, our campaign line is “education is freedom.” And that is really our rallying call. For us to be able to use our platform, use fragrance, to unite people, to create these connections, so that this is not just an issue that’s far away and happening for people elsewhere, this is something that impacts us all and we can all unite around the belief that education is freedom and help be a part of that solution.”

“Being here is an act of resistance—it’s action,” Kneuven said.

On taking action

PS: “When you invest in a girl’s education, you’re not just investing in that one girl. You’re investing in her future. You’re also investing in her family, in her community, you’re investing in a country’s GDP. The list of benefits is endless. It gives such an amazing and hard-to-match return on investment. Think about yourselves as agents of change, especially when it feels like the world around you is very overwhelming. There are solutions on the table, there are organizations that are delivering those solutions, and that’s how we build a better world for all of us.”

LK: “Being here is an act of resistance, it’s action. Coming together and forming communities. Building community around hope is the antidote. It’s amplifying the girls’ voices, helping to tell their stories, sharing your platforms so that they can have a global audience and be heard. Just really keeping the local leaders and the girls at the center always as you design for impact so that the solutions will stick and they will be actually engineered to solve.”

To learn more about the Malala Fund or donate, click here.