Born in 1997, Malala Yousafzai loved to learn even though it was looked down upon for girls to attend school at the time. In 2008, the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley and enforced many strict laws, one of which prohibited girls from going to school. As this was extremely unjust, Malala began her advocacy at a young age and began to speak out about her right to an education. However, her daring actions put her in danger.
On October 9, 2012, Malala left her school and boarded the school bus that would take her home. Unfortunately, this journey was cut short as two Taliban men flagged down the bus. As they entered the bus, one asked, “Who is Malala?” The other girls looked at her, unknowingly identifying her to the two men. In a matter of seconds, Malala was shot in the left side of her face.
Malala recalls being awoken 10 days later in Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in England. The doctors and nurses explained to her what had happened and gave her a notepad so she could communicate. The first thing she asked was, “Why have I no father?”
Malala always had a close relationship with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. When she was born, her father promised he would give her every opportunity a boy would have. Ziauddin Yousafzai was a teacher and created a girls’ school in his village. He was a big education advocate which influenced Malala to also become passionate about school. Fortunately, after the attack, Malala’s father was safe in Pakistan.
For the next few days, Malala questioned the nurses about what had happened, as she could not recall much of the incident. In the notepad, Malala asked, “who did this to me?”, “was I shot?”, “was my father shot?”, and “who would pay for the hospital expenses?” The nurse informed her that the government of Pakistan was paying for her surgeries and retold the series of events to her. Malala was also informed that the bullet entered near her left eye, traveled 18 inches and stopped near her shoulder. Even though half of her face is now paralyzed, it was a miracle she survived.
After months of rehabilitation, Malala was finally able to return to her new home in Birmingham, England. Malala recalls, “It was then I knew I had a choice: I could live a quiet life or I could make the most of this new life I had been given.” She chose the latter and with the help of her father, she created the Malala Fund in 2014 which advocates for women and girls’ right to an education on an international scale. Later that year, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest Nobel laureate in history.
Additionally, she published her autobiography, I Am Malala, which tells the story of Malala’s life and how her family was impacted by global terrorism while also touching on her father who encouraged her to attend school and fight for girls’ education despite the inevitable societal challenges (GoodReads). Her book received worldwide recognition and continues to be a reminder of the hardships girls encounter to receive something many of us take for granted.
More recently, Malala became an Oxford University graduate and received her philosophy, politics and economics undergraduate degree in June of 2020. One year later, she was featured on the cover of British Vogue and opened up about her plans for the future. Last March she announced her multi-year partnership with Apple TV and she plans on making documentaries about girls’ education and women’s rights as well as comedies such as animations, dramas, and children’s shows.
Malala reveals that her biggest fear “… is of failing the voiceless girls who rely on her: the girls whose parents save their money to send their brothers to school; the girls married off to men much older than them; the girls who can’t read” (British Vogue). Malala has accomplished much in her life so far but there is still more to be done and as long as she has the ability to raise awareness and effect change, Malala will continue to fight for equality.