MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 to her parents Ziauddin and Tor Pekai Yousafzai. She was born in Mingora which is the largest city in the Swat Valley in what is now the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. Early in her life, Malala developed a thirst for knowledge as school was a significant part of her family. Her father was also an education advocate and ran a learning institution. In 2007, when Malala was ten years old, the situation in the Swat Valley suddenly changed. The Taliban gained control of the area and grew to be the dominant socio-political force throughout much of northwestern Pakistan. Girls were banned from attending school and cultural activities like dancing and watching television were prohibited. This opposition to a proper education for girls was a large part of the group’s terror campaign. 

 

Undeterred, Malala fought for her right to education and stood up to the Taliban. Even as a child she was unafraid of speaking out. She and her father criticized their tactics. In 2009, she started writing anonymous blogs about life in the Swat Valley under Taliban rule as well as her desire to go to school. On May 5, 2009, Malala became an internally displaced person (IDP), after being forced to leave her home and find safety hundreds of miles away. When she returned to Swat, she and her father became known throughout Pakistan for their determination to give Pakistani girls access to a free quality education. In 2011 she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize, but not everyone supported Malala’s campaign. 

 

On the morning of October 9, 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban. She was seated on a bus heading home from school when two members of the Taliban stopped the bus. A young bearded Talib asked for Malala by name, and proceeded to fire three shots at her. Malala was seriously injured and would require multiple surgeries but had suffered no major brain damage. After the shooting, her incredible recovery and return to school resulted in a global outpouring of support for Malala. In 2013, she published her first book, an autobiography entitled “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” Even having done so much for the girls of her country, this was just the start of the change Malala has made (and will make) throughout the world. Through the Malala Fund and with her own voice, Malala Yousafzai remains a staunch advocate for the power of education and for girls to become agents of change in their communities.