Know More About Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world” - Malala Yousafzai

It comes as no surprise that women have been oppressed for generations. It is now that the voices of women are being heard. However, there are still several areas and regions where women lack access to adequate healthcare, employment, education and more. One young woman decided to change the fate of hundreds of girls across the globe. She is none other than Malala. She’s not just an inspiration but also a name that deserves to be reckoned with.

Who is Malala Yousafzai?

Malala is a Pakistani female education activist. She was born in Mingora, Pakistan on 12 July, 1997. Her father was an educator and that’s where her thirst for knowledge developed. Back then, welcoming a girl was not a cause for celebration in Pakistan. However, her father was determined to give her every opportunity a boy would have. He even ran a girl’s school in the village. One day everything changed when the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley. Chaos ensued in the entire town. Harsh punishments were guaranteed for anyone who defied their orders.  

Despite this, she and her father advocated for the rights of women and children. She also started a blog and wrote about her life under Taliban rule.

Malala rose to global prominence in October 2012 when she spoke out publicly on behalf of girls and their right to learn.

All what she did went against her when gunmen from the Taliban shot her in the head when she was on her way back from school. She was just fifteen years old then.

After multiple surgeries and therapy, Malala recovered. She started attending school in Birmingham. She continued her campaign for girls’ education across the world.

On her 16^th birthday, the young lady was invited to speak at the United Nations. The TIME magazine declared her as one of the most influential people. Overnight, she became an international symbol.

In 2014, she was only seventeen years old when she was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. She became the youngest-ever Nobel Laureate to be conferred with this title.

Malala Day

Every year, the world celebrates Malala Day on 12^th July in her honour. It also happens to be her birthday on that day. The day acknowledges her work towards women’s right to education across the world. On this day, she also started the Malala Fund, which raises money for girls’ education worldwide.

After Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistan passed the first Right to Education bill. Her courage, endurance and passion has earned her over 40 awards. University of King’s College has also awarded her with an honorary doctorate in the year 2014.

During her UN address, she also stated “Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy, and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.”

4 Things to Learn from Malala Yousafzai

• Never give up: Despite facing constant retaliation from the Taliban, Malala never gave up. She persistently fought and publicly campaigned for the girls in her area to go back to school. Her bravery and courage earned her Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize in 2011. Even when she was shot in the head, she never gave up. She came back stronger with a passion to fight for women’s education.
• Be humble: In the last decade, Malala has achieved several accolades. Despite this, she always speaks softly and acts with kindness towards everybody. She inspires everyone to be as humble as she is.
• Age is just a number: Malala has taught us that if you believe in your goals, age should not be a barrier in accomplishing what you want to. She became the youngest person to give a speech in the UN in 2013. She is even the youngest Nobel prize winner.
• Speak up: Women till date are asked to keep quiet. Malala is an inspiration to millions of girls and women. She teaches us that it is important to raise your voice for the right. As she once stated “We realise the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”

Ways to Celebrate Malala Day

If you want to celebrate and support Malala’s cause, here’s what you can do on 12^th July:

• Read her book: “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot” is a book written by her. If you haven’t read it before, it’s worth giving it a read. It speaks about her family who was uprooted by global terrorism. It also highlights her fight for girls’ education and her father’s role in encouraging her to attend school. Besides this, it also speaks about her brave parents who love her unconditionally in a society that prizes sons.
• Donate to the Malala Fund: The Malala Fund represents women oppressed by religion and misogyny. It is a charity that empowers young girls around the world to fight for what they believe in and keep going to school. In celebration of Malala Day, you could donate to the fund.
• Watch her documentary: “He Named Me Malala” is a documentary that was released in 2015. It gives a sneak-peek at the events that led to the Taliban’s’ attack on the young Pakistani. It’s available on Amazon Prime Video.
• Spread the word on social media: A very few people know that Malala Day is celebrated on 12^th Use the hashtag on your social media handles to get people to join the conversation around the rights of women and children. You could also read up about countries where it’s difficult for girls to get an education.

The things Malala has done for the betterment of women and children round the globe is worthy of applause. She has fought for several years and continues to voice her opinion. Youngsters today should see her as their role model. If she could campaign for girls’ education at the age of 15, anyone can.

Kudos to her spirit!