Amara Sharif

Founder, Pepala

“For me, International Women’s Day is a reminder that while progress has been made, the work is far from finished. It’s a call to keep pushing, keep advocating, and keep showing up.”

For this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re proud to launch a campaign that spotlights the remarkable women shaping our industry and community. Through a series of profiles, we are sharing the stories of inspiring women who are leading and innovating across our industry!

Read Amara’s story below.

I am the founder of Pepala, a non-profit organisation that transforms surplus items from UK businesses into educational opportunities for children in Malawi. Every year, millions of brand new items, pens, pencils, notepads, end up in landfill, despite being exactly what many children in Malawi go without. Bridging this gap matters deeply to me because sustainable educational equity shouldn’t be a privilege; it should be a right. Pepala exists to make that right a reality. 

I often describe Pepala as “small but mighty,” and last year proved exactly why. We successfully sent 70,000 educational items to schools in Malawi, an achievement powered entirely by a volunteer-led team and by our incredible partners such as the BPMA! Our volunteers include marketing experts, social media influencers, lawyers, accountants, and so many others who generously share their skills. Knowing that people from such diverse backgrounds come together purely to support children in Malawi is something that fills me with immense pride. 

My greatest inspiration is Mamu, a primary school student I met in Malawi in 2024. He had crafted a makeshift backpack out of plastic and string, resourceful, resilient, and determined to learn. His creativity and spirit sparked the idea for Pepala. Just twelve months later, he now carries a Pepala backpack filled with stationery donated by UK businesses. That moment, seeing the full circle of need, action, and impact, remains one of the most meaningful parts of this journey. 

In Malawi, almost 25% of girls are not in education, and in countries like Pakistan the figure is even higher at approximately 50%. Boys are still more likely to be sent to school. Educating a woman doesn’t just transform her life; it transforms her family, her community, and generations after her. For me, International Women’s Day is a reminder that while progress has been made, the work is far from finished. It’s a call to keep pushing, keep advocating, and keep showing up. 

Women thrive when we uplift one another. At Pepala, I’m proud to work with a majority female team—each of us different, each bringing something unique. Those differences are our strength. My advice is simple: embrace collaboration, celebrate each other loudly, and never underestimate the power of women supporting women.