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Malala was born in Pakistan, a country where girls usually have fewer options than boys. Her father, a teacher in a girls’ school in the village, wanted to make sure Malala had the same opportunities a boy would have.
When Malala was 8 years old, the Taliban took control of her village and shut her school. But Malala wasn’t going to let others control her destiny. Malala bravely spoke out publicly on girls’ rights to an education. Her first speech, called ‘How Dare the Taliban Take Away My Basic Right to Education,’ was publicised all over Pakistan and resulted in girls being allowed to return to school.
For many, Malala had changed their life for the better. But of course, not everyone agreed with Malala. One day, on the bus home from school, a masked gunman boarded the bus and shot Malala in the side of her head. She woke up 10 days later in a hospital in Birmingham, UK. Malala had been air lifted 3,815 miles from Pakistan to receive emergency medical treatment. She spent months in hospital undergoing surgeries and therapy. In that time, Malala decided that instead of accepting defeat, she was determined to continue her fight until every girl could go to school.
Malala established the Malala Fund to help achieve her goals. Through this Fund, Malala travels around the world meeting girls who have to fight for access to education because of poverty, wars, child marriage and gender discrimination. The Malala Fund invests in developing country educators and activists, like Malala’s father, and makes sure that leaders follow through on their promises to girls. Malala is a firm believer in speaking up when no one else will. She says, ‘When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.’
