Meghan Markle and Prince Harry team up with Malala to mark International Day of the Girl

The trio will have a virtual discussion about the importance of education in empowering young women

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are continuing to campaign for women's education. AP Photo

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will join activist Malala Yousafzai in marking International Day of the Girl on Sunday, October 11.

The trio will team up for a virtual conversation that will be streamed online on malala.org, as well as the Malala Fund's social media platforms and YouTube channel. Topics will include the importance of a girl's right to a fair education, and why the Covid-19 outbreak has has a disproportionate effect on education opportunities for young women around the world.

Malala Yousafzai displays her medal during the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony in Norway, on December 10, 2014. AFP

Nearly 130 million girls were out of school before the pandemic begun — and it is estimated that an additional 20 million girls may have their education cut short because of it, according to the Malala Fund.

The not-for-profit organisation has been working to ensure that girls continue learning during the Covid-19 crisis, and is investing an additional $3 million in grants to education organisations in the countries where it works.

Earlier this year, Malala graduated from Oxford University, having survived being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman at the age of 15 in her native Pakistan. She went on to become the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014.

Markle has long campaigned for female education and frequently spoken out about how a lack of access to education is the single most important barrier to gender equality. In celebration of Prince Harry’s birthday in September, the couple donated $130,000 to Camfed, a pan-African nonprofit that supports the education of young women and girls.

“When a woman is empowered it changes absolutely everything in the community,” Markle has said.