World Malala Day is a day to honor and celebrate Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Every year people around the world celebrate World Malala Day on 12 July. Malala is an incredible inspiration to many people around the world, and her commitment to education, especially for girls, is truly remarkable. To celebrate this special day, here are 10 interesting facts about the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner.
- Malala was born in Mingora, a town in the Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In 2008, when Malala was only 11, Taliban militants invaded Mingora and began forcing the people to accept their rule or face dire consequences. Malala bravely spoke out against the repressive policies of the Taliban and soon became a target.
- In 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman as she was walking home from school. Miraculously, she survived and was flown to England for treatment. Although the incident left her with physical and emotional trauma, she used it as motivation to continue her fight for girls’ rights and education.
- After recovering from her injuries, Malala founded the Malala Fund – an organization dedicated to providing girls with access to quality education. She also wrote her first book, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.
- In 2014, at only 17 years old, Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her “struggle against the oppression of children and youth and for the right of all children to education”.
- During her acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Malala delivered a powerful speech where she called on world leaders to invest in educational opportunities for every child around the world: “One child, one teacher, one A book and a pen can change the world.”
- In 2015, she became an honorary Canadian citizen – becoming only the sixth person in history to receive such an honour. She also opened a girls’ school in Lebanon that same year – providing free quality education to refugee girls.
- In 2017, Malala graduated from the University of Oxford, where she studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). During his time at Oxford, he was praised for his academic achievements by fellow students and professors.
- In 2018, at just 21 years old, Malala was appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, making her one of only 11 people in history to receive this honor. In 2020 he was awarded Amnesty International’s highest honor – The Ambassador of Conscience Award – for his work fighting for human rights around the world.
- In 2021, Malala became a published author with her second book, We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World, which highlights the stories of refugee girls around the world who have been forced to leave their homes due to war or persecution. was forced to flee.
- Most recently in 2022, Malala launched a new initiative called The Malala Network, which provides advice and resources to young women around the world who are working to make a difference in their communities for gender equality.