Monday, July 13, 2015., Education activist Malala Yousafzai marked her 18th birthday, on Sunday, 12 July 2015 in Lebanon by opening the “Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School” near the Syrian border, which will provide quality secondary education to more than 200 Syrian girls. Her birthday is celebrated as “Malala Day” throughout the world.
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.
She became a public figure when she was shot by the Taliban in October 2012 while travelling to school — targeted because of her committed campaigning for the right of all girls to an education. She was flown to the United Kingdom to recover, and now lives permanently in Britain with her family.
She has also won the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Parliament President Martin Schulz called her a “brave advocate for education” who “reminds us of our duty toward children and especially girls.”
Malala Yousafzai has announced Malala Fund to support girls access to education. In her Malala Fund blog, she said,
“I am honored to mark my 18th birthday with the brave and inspiring girls of Syria. I am here on behalf of the 28 million children who are kept from the classroom because of armed conflict. Their courage and dedication to continue their schooling in difficult conditions inspires people around the world and it is our duty to stand by them. On this day, I have a message for the leaders of this country, this region and the world – you are failing the Syrian people, especially Syria’s children. This is a heartbreaking tragedy – the world’s worst refugee crisis in decades.
On behalf of the world’s children, I demand of our leaders to invest in books instead of bullets. Books, not bullets, will pave the path toward peace and prosperity. Our voices will continue to get louder and louder until we see politicians and our governments invest in the education of their youth rather than military and war. To all the students, you will read new books. You will discover new ideas. You will learn together. You will dream together. And you will inspire the world.”
She has started a campaign called #BooksNotBullets and tell world leaders to fund the real weapon for change, education.
Malala Fund Organization has also announced a new grant of $250,000 USD in support to UNICEF and UNHCR, to meet the funding shortfall for girls’ school programming in Jordan’s Azraq refugee camp in honor of Malala Day.
She addressed United Nations Youth Assembly on 12 July, 2013, by giving her first high-level public appearance and statement on the importance of education. Read here Malala Yousafzai’s inspiring speech at UN.
In her speech, She said, “I am here to speak for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. There was a time when women activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But this time we will do it by ourselves.
So let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism, let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first.”
Birthday Wishes for her on Twitter
Happy bday Malala! You may be 18 yrs old, but we will always see you as a voice for children everywhere. #MalalaDay pic.twitter.com/Ug6u121xfl
— UN Women (@UN_Women) July 12, 2015
Very happy birthday to my dear daughter Malala. Lots blessings and wishes from me, Sumedha ji and family. @MalalaFund pic.twitter.com/xFMXTuFvJx
— Kailash Satyarthi (@k_satyarthi) July 12, 2015
Happy birthday, #Malala! We thank you for being a voice for the millions of girls around the world who deserve an education. #LetGirlsLearn
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) July 12, 2015
“Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights,” Malala Yousafzai said.
