Pursuing self-actualisation is a privilege that millions of people on our planet do not have. The online Flourishing community event is a monthly donation-based gathering, with all proceeds going to the Malala Fund. This fund works for a world where every girl can learn and choose her own future. As Melinda Gates writes in The Moment of Lift, when you empower a woman, you lift up her family, her community, and ultimately the world. By supporting the Malala Fund, we invest in the enablement of human potential. Because this world needs everyone in their genius!

Looking at the research, we see that education is a strong mitigating factor for poverty. However, poverty jeopardises education in that access can be limited for different socio-economic classes, creating a vicious cycle of poverty and limited educational opportunities. Therefore, tuition-free primary education, as provided in many countries around the world, is an important factor in laying the foundation for wellbeing. However, in addition to the actual cost of education, there may be additional opportunity costs for a family living in poverty to send a child to school. In rural India, one participant of a study analysed in a research project of mine said that she had to take one child out of school to have help with the farm the family lives by. This one example among many points to the urgency of support measures for people living in poverty to access education, as demonetisation does not seem to be sufficient. 

The education of girls and women is of particular importance in the fight against poverty, as it not only increases income but also has a positive impact on family planning and children’s health. In sum, education is positively associated with the social-economic status, promotes a sense of agency and is considered to be a key contributer for health and prosperity, thereby acting as a moderating factor for wellbeing of the individual, family, community and nation.