“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!)
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