Fighting For Girls' Education
Creating A Future Where Girls Are Free To Learn & Lead
Ziauddin Yousafzai, Co-founder of The Malala Fund, Educator and Activist, Father of Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai
Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Senior Grants Officer at The Malala Fund, Human Rights Activist
November 12, 2025
Dennos Museum Center Milliken Auditorium, Traverse City, MI, in person & online
Thursday, November 12, 2025
7:00 pm Eastern US program | 6:00 pm reception
Dennos Museum Center Milliken Auditorium
1701 E. Front St. Traverse City, MI
Hybrid event |
in-person audience and online livestream
In-person admission |
$15 per person, advance purchase | $20 at venue
Online admission |
$10 per person | watch online
Students & educators |
free admission for current students and educators, including NMC and area secondary schools.
Members |
Supporters of IAF do not need to purchase tickets. Members make these programs possible via membership gifts. Thank you.
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About the speakers
Ziauddin Yousafzai
Ziauddin Yousafzai is a Co-Founder and board member of Malala Fund. He is the father of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Malala Yousafzai. For many years, Ziauddin served as a teacher and school administrator in his home country of Pakistan. With Malala Fund, he advocates for every girl's right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. His first book "Let Her Fly" is on parenthood and fighting for equality.
Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Ph.D.
Dr. Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn is a lifelong human rights activist who believes that every girl should have the power to learn and lead and transform the world. She currently serves as Senior Director, Grants at Malala Fund where she leads a global team of dedicated grantmakers to mobilize resources for girls’ education. Sue has held a number of leadership roles at Amnesty International USA, Freedom House, Open Society Foundations, and MADRE. She has also served as a consultant, advising civil society groups both in the US and internationally. Born in Sri Lanka and raised in London, Dubai, and Toronto, Sue holds a Ph.D. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.
About the Malala Fund
Malala Fund’s co-founders, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin, established Malala Fund in early 2013. But they began their fight for a world where every girl can learn and choose her own future years before. In Swat Valley, Pakistan, Malala and Ziauddin bravely championed girls’ right to education in the face of the Taliban’s oppressive rule. Their advocacy came at great personal cost when, in 2012, a Taliban gunman targeted and shot 15-year-old Malala for her activism.
The surge of public support following the attack propelled Malala and Ziauddin’s campaign for girls’ education onto the global stage — inspiring the creation of Malala Fund and launching a worldwide movement. From the start, Malala Fund has focused on ensuring all girls can go to school and reach their full potential and supported a new generation of brave activists fighting for girls’ rights and futures.
To date, Malala Fund has awarded $65 million through more than 400 grants to support passionate advocates, activists, and initiatives across 27 countries. Leveraging our global reach and influence, we have secured transformative policies and vital funding commitments to advance girls’ education worldwide. Learn more about the Malala Fund
here.
