Malala Yousafzai has been fighting all her life for girls' rights to an education.
Born in 1997, Malala lived in an area in Pakistan under control by the Taliban. The Taliban believed that only boys should go to school.
At the age of 11, Malala started a blog about her life at school. She wrote that fewer and fewer girls were coming to school because they feared the Taliban. Eventually, the Taliban completely banned girls from going to school and closed all girls’ schools.
Both Malala and her father continued to speak out against the Taliban.
In 2012, when Malala was 15, the Taliban tried to kill her. She was injured very badly by a gunshot and went to Britain for medical treatment.
By this time Malala had the attention of the whole world. In 2013, only one year after the attempt on her life, Malala gave a speech at the United Nations. She talked about human rights and the right to education for all.
In that same year, she helped write the book, I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Unfortunately the book was banned in many Pakistani schools.
The following year, in 2014, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of 17, she became the youngest person ever to win that honor.
Malala continues to work for women’s rights and non-violent protest. She inspires girls around the world to be brave and speak out for what they believe.
Source: worksheetsplus.com/Reading/Malala.html Who is Malala Yousafzai?
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