Malala Day, slated for July 12 every year, is dedicated to the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace prize Malala Yousafzai. She is globally recognized for her advocacy, particularly for the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley, north-west Pakistan. Malala Day bears such significance because behind it is the unusual story of a young individual from a humble background evolving into a global agent of much needed change. Malala Yousafzai was born on 12 July 1997, into a lower-middle-class family.
In 2007, when Malala was ten years old, Taliban began to control the Swat Valley. Girls were banned from attending school, and cultural activities like dancing and watching television were prohibited. By the end of 2008, the Taliban had destroyed around 400 schools. “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?” said Malala in that time on Pakistani TV.
On October 9, 2012, on her return from an exam, Malala and two other girls were shot by a member of Taliban in what was later revealed as an assassination attempt in response to Malala’s activism. Malala sustained three gunshots, one of the bullets entered and exited her head and lodged in her shoulder. She remained unconscious and was brought in critical condition to the local hospital and required multiple surgeries. The (failed) attempt on her life resulted in a global outpouring of support for her. It was on the premise of this incident, that she became globally renowned and received the Nobel Peace prize.
There is a 2015 documentary chronicling the life of Malala Yousafzai titled “He Named Me Malala.” Also In 2015, NASA named an asteroid ‘Malala’. In 2020, Malala graduated from the prestigious Oxford University. Today, the Malala Fund has become an organization that, through funding education projects in six countries and working with international leaders, empowers girls to achieve their potential and become confident and strong leaders in their own countries.
Sources: nationaltoday.com, malala.org, nobelprize.org
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