Extra Ordinary Teenagers

Who is Malala Yousafzai?

Nationality: Pakistani

Born: 12 July 1997

Age: 22

Job: Human Rights Activist

& Blogger

When she was young,

Malala lived in Pakistan

under Taliban rule.

Early activism

Malala’s family ran a chain of schools in the region and she was particularly inspired by her father’s thoughts and humanitarian work.

When she was just 11 years old, Malala risked her life and wrote a blog for BBC Internet under the pseudonym “Gul Makai“.

Her goals were to expose the acts of the Taliban and to promote education for women, since the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.

On December 2009 Malala’s identity was revealed and she appeared on television to publicly advocate for female education.

From 2009 to 2010 she was the chair of the District Child Assembly of the Khpal Kor Foundation.

In October 2011, Malala was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.

On 19 December 2011 she was awarded Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize.

By 2012, Malala was planning to organise the Malala Education Foundation, which would help poor girls go to school.

The attack

Death threats against Malala were published in newspapers, Facebook and slipped under her door.

In 2012, when Malala was 15 years old, an armed man boarded her school bus.

He asked, “Where is Malala Yousafzai?”

When she responded, he shot her in the face with a pistol.

Offers to treat Malala came from around the world.

Malala survived the attack and recovered.

The murder attempt received worldwide media coverage and produced an outpouring of sympathy and anger.

Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

On 10 October 2014, Malala was announced as the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

Watch Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOqIotJrFVM

Becoming famous in America

In America, Malala became famous after an interview on a popular political TV show, called The Daily Show.

The show is normally comical, but when Malala spoke, it became quite serious.

The host was shocked with Malala’s maturity and compassion.

Malala says that if she saw her Taliban attacker again, she would not defend herself with violence.

She says that violence would make her “no different from the Taliban.”

She says we must fight violence with “peace, dialogue, and education.”

Watch Malala’s interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs

These days…

Today, Malala continues her work as an activist, speaking out for the importance of worldwide education.

In April 2017, became the U.N. Messenger of Peace to promote girls education.

In April 2017 Malala was also given honorary Canadian citizenship.

Malala began studying at Oxford University in 2017. She studies philosophy, politics and economics.

See more about Malala:

Google Earth

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kzgy2VyG6EggqKS6fBTRMK_SJHSIXyNq&usp=sharing

Quotes

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/malala-yousafzai-quotes

The family behind Malala

https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-gandhara-malala-family/25159006.html