Shiza Shahid

Pakistani social entrepreneur advancing girls' education through global partnerships

Shiza Shahid is a Pakistani entrepreneur and advocate for girls' education whose work has empowered over 1 million girls globally. Born in 1986, her journey began after meeting Malala Yousafzai in 2012, leading to the co-founding of The Malala Fund in 2013.

Founding the Malala Fund

As co-founder and CEO, Shahid developed strategic partnerships with organizations like the World Bank and UNICEF. Under her leadership, the fund secured $100 million in commitments by 2017 to support girls' education in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Her initiative "1 Day" raised $1.5 million in 24 hours for Syrian refugee education.

Innovative Approaches

Shahid pioneered mobile learning platforms like the 'Classroom-in-a-Box' program, providing digital education tools to regions without formal schools. She also developed the first blockchain-based scholarship tracking system to ensure funds reached intended beneficiaries.

Global Recognition

Named to Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2019, Shahid's TED Talk "Why I Started a School on Wheels" has over 2 million views. Her work was instrumental in the 2018 Global Partnership for Education replenishment campaign that secured $2.3 billion in commitments.

Current Initiatives

Shahid now leads Inkludi, a social enterprise providing menstrual health education in partnership with UNESCO. Her latest venture uses AI chatbots to deliver education content in 12 languages through basic feature phones.