Malala Yousafzia A brave girl from Pakistan

Malala was born July 12th 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan Malala was born July 12th 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. She lived with her parents who later had two sons. For the first few years of her life, her hometown remained a popular tourist spot that was known for its summer festivals. However, the area began to change as the Taliban tried to take control.

In the area Malala lived, known as the Swat Valley, the Taliban, at times, banned girls from attending school. Malala spoke out for the right of children, of girls in a place where some people believe that girls should not go to school. She attended a school that her father had founded. After the Taliban began attacking girls' schools in Swat, Malala gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2008. The title of her talk was, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?"

In 2009, Malala begin to write a blog under a different name In 2009, Malala begin to write a blog under a different name. She wrote about life under the Taliban rule and shared her views on promoting education for girls. As a result of the World Wide Web, she gained interest from all around the world. Malala began to rise in prominence and gave interviews. She took on the role of chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat.

Her father ran a number of schools in the region, was also a keen education activist. Malala continued to share her views regarding education rights for girls. She won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. Later in 2011, at the age of 14, she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize.

On the 9th October 2012, aged 15, Malala was shot by the Taliban whilst returning home on the school bus. Malala was immediately airlifted to Pesawar where they removed the bullet from near her spinal cord. She was later taken to a hospital in London for further treatment. In the days after the attack, she was in a critical condition but later her she began to make a good recovery.

Even as Malala was recovering from her ordeal, she continued to speak fearlessly for girls’ education and speaking against an extremely cruel and wicked Taliban. Politicians around the world demanded that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015.

The shooting resulted in a massive outpouring of support for Yousafzai, which continued during her recovery. She gave a speech at the United Nations on her 16th birthday, in 2013. She has also written an autobiography, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, which was released in October 2013.

“Malala Yousafzai is a very global symbol of every girl’s right to an education” Ban Ki-moon (UN Secretary General)

Malala was awarded the International Peace Prize of 2014. Malala said, having been awarded the prize, “My message to children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights.”