Malala Yousafzai has become a global icon for her fearless efforts advocating for every child's right to education, even while living under increasingly dangerous circumstances.
Malala born and raised in a country where only boys were allowed an education.On July 12, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, a city in the Swat District of Pakistan.Malala grew up in awe of her father, an activist who believed the lack of education was the root of all of Pakistan's problems. She attended a public school founded by her father and developed a thirst for knowledge from an early age.
As class attendance dwindled for fear of retribution, Malala refused to renounce her right to an education. Her father noticed her passion for standing up against the Taliban's oppressive campaign and took Malala to Peshawar to speak at the local press club. There, she gave an impassioned speech to an audience of newspapers and TV channels. She asked them, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?"
On October 9, 2012, Malala was riding home from school on a bus with her friends when a masked gunman jumped aboard. He brandished a gun at the children and demanded to know which girl was Malala. As her friends turned to look at her, he fired three shots. One bullet hit Malala on the left side of her head, traveling down her neck and embedding itself in her shoulder. Panic ensued as she collapsed and the gunman made his escape.
An ambulance was called and 15-year-old Malala was airlifted to a military hospital in critical condition. After a five-hour operation, the bullet was removed, but she was far from stable. she was transferred to Germany and then the United Kingdom for treatment.
The murder attempt spurred worldwide outrage and protests across Pakistan. A right-to-education bill was passed in her country for the first time, and she receives global support when promoting her cause.
On July 12, 2013, her 16th birthday, Malala was flown to New York to give a passionate speech at the United Nations, where she urged the world to challenge extremism with education. Later that year, she published her first book, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.
Since then, Malala has continued her activism with renewed courage. In October 2014, at age 17, Malala became the youngest person and only Pakistani to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. On her 18th birthday, she opened a school for Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon. At the opening, her first words as an adult were a call-to-action for world leaders to invest in "books, not bullets."With over 40 honorary awards to her name, Malala Yousafzai has become a messenger of peace
Today, Malala resides in Birmingham, UK, where she has been proudly accepted to Oxford University. There she will study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics to strengthen her influence and further her advocacy for education.
Throughout her youth, Malala has shown exceptional strength and courage in the face of terrorism. The attempt on her life only served to embolden her belief in a better, more equal world. Her voice has brought education to thousands of children and has inspired millions more. Malala Yousafzai is proof that age has no bearing in the fight for what is right, that anyone can and should raise their voice to improve the world around them.
Source and Credit : https://www.goalcast.com/2018/03/07/malala-yousafzais-life-story/