OREANDA-NEWS.    The Vodafone Foundation has today announced the launch of a partnership with the Malala Fund - the philanthropic organisation established by Malala Yousafzai, ambassador for girls’ education worldwide through the Malala Fund and author of I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education - to promote mobile-based literacy and education projects around the world.

The Malala Fund was established in 2013 to support efforts to ensure girls in all countries and cultures are able to benefit from access to education. The Vodafone Foundation-Malala Fund partnership will explore ways of using mobile technology to tackle illiteracy among women and girls around the world and expand female access to education.

The Vodafone Foundation-Malala Fund collaboration comes in the light of the significant potential for mobile to transform female literacy levels in developing countries, with the Connected Women report*, also announced today, concluding that mobile technology could be used to lift 5.3m women out of illiteracy by 2020. The report was commissioned by Vodafone with research undertaken by Accenture and Oxford University’s Saпd Business School.

The Vodafone Foundation's Mobile for Good programme combines Vodafone's charitable giving and technology to make a difference in the world. Globally, the Vodafone Foundation supports projects that are focused on delivering public benefit through the use of mobile technology across the areas of health, education and disaster relief.

Andrew Dunnett, Director, Vodafone Foundation, said: “Getting a mobile for the first time can change a woman's life forever, and - as the Vodafone Connected Women report demonstrates –preventing the gender gap from widening would yield a significant economic benefit. We look forward to working with the Malala Fund to give more women the knowledge and skills to take greater control of their lives and increase their participation in the workforce.”

Shiza Shahid, CEO of the Malala Fund, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Vodafone Foundation. We hope our work will help empower the most disenfranchised girls through education and mobile technology."