Malala Yousafzai - Changing the Story of Education for Women

“I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls.” - Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, at only 22 years of age, has already done tremendous work towards the advancement of education for young women. Having received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, Malala continually stands up for and speaks out in favor of women’s right to education in countries across the world.

When Malala was 15 years old, she began to speak out against the outrage of prohibiting girls from attending school. The Taliban took over her town four years before and prevented girls from attending school. In resisting this injustice, she became a target and was shot on the left side of her head. This injury left her in the hospital, undergoing surgeries and rehab for months. After her recovery, she established the Malala Fund, which is “dedicated to giving every girl an opportunity to achieve a future she chooses.” Although Malala is incredibly talented in public speaking and educating those around the world, this talent is not what led her to desire to speak up about the importance of education. Malala was inspired to speak after that right was stripped away from her. Her passion to see all women educated motivated her to speak up and make a change in women's education.

Malala is now studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Oxford, refusing to give in to the violent attempts to keep her from education. She continues to travel, meeting with women and constantly working to establish a better community for women who desire education. Malala’s creative approach to building a better future for women has been seen throughout much of her life. Malala was separated from her classmates when she was just 11 years old, and quickly realized the importance of speaking up for their education. Despite the dangers of speaking up, Malala did not give up, even after being shot.

Malala established the Malala Fund in 2014. The work that is done through this fund is specific to each country the fund provides aid to. Malala is not taking a universal idea and applying it across the world. She comes to each country with a specific and unique plan to best fit the needs of women in that location. Malala is working to advocate for education in Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Syria region.

In Afghanistan, there is a focus on “recruiting female teachers and eliminating gender discrimination,” in India, on “expanding access to free secondary school through advocacy, mentorship programmes and re-enrollment campaigns,” in Pakistan, on “fighting for education funding, building schools for girls and training young women to speak out for their rights”. This individualized approach in each country shows how dedicated Malala is on working to truly achieve education for all women. Instead of sitting down and deciding on one creative approach to apply across every country, the Malala Fund looks at each country on its own and comes up with innovative solutions to fit the culture and climate of that specific location. The Malala Fund sees that only 7% of Nigeria’s budget is spent on education, and they help Kiki James advocate for increasing that percentage. In Brazil, however, the Malala fund focuses on the massive problem of sexual abuse and exploitation, supporting Denise Carreira in educating and training teachers on gender equality and reporting violence. In the Syria region, transportation to schools is a massive barrier to education. The Malala fund invests in technology which Nayla Fahed established to help refugee girls catch up on lessons, even without internet access.

This is a common theme throughout the work that the Malala Fund is doing – supporting, helping, and building up the people making a difference in these communities. Instead of coming in and taking over, they come beside and work with, a powerfully creative approach to change. It is all too easy to think we know exactly what needs to happen and how to make that change, but the reality is that those in the community know the culture and needs far better than an outsider or newcomer will. Malala desires to work with, not just for, the communities she enters into. Her creativity does more than inspire, motivate, and move individuals – it gives them an opportunity to create for themselves the future they desire. That is a power that simply cannot be undermined.

Works Cited:

https://www.malala.org

(You can also visit this website for more information on the work that the Malala Fund and to support the work being done!)