NOBEL laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai has launched a new initiative to invest in women’s sports around the world.

Recess — launched by Ms Yousafzai and her husband, Asser Malik, on Tuesday — will invest in professional and amateur teams to ensure more women participation in sports.

In an interview with CNN, Ms Yousafzai, who was born in Swat, recalled her school days in Pakistan when women had limited opportunities to participate in sports.

“I remember in school recess time when boys would go off to the local cricket playground and girls had to stay behind,” she said.

“From that point onwards, I knew that sports was something that girls did not have easy access to.”

The rights activists said sports is a “powerful way of bringing communities together”.

“We could be competitive, but at the same time, when the game is over, we can hug each other, shake hands, and recognise that we’re all one humanity.”

Ms Yousufzai said female sports lack investment, which deprives women of opportunities to compete.

The couple wants to change this.

“We were looking for an opportunity where we could bring in our expertise, our platform to benefit women’s sports…,” she said.

They have identified the US football league, National Women’s Soccer League and the basketball league, the Women’s National Basketball Association, as two leagues in which they are looking to invest.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2025