Malala’s inspiring story

The words of Malala Yousafzai at a recent United Nations (UN) meeting in New York continue to ring throughout the world: “I speak – not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights – their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, and their right to be educated.”
Malala Yousafzai may not be a name that is famous among Guyanese, but surely her story is worth being told a thousand times as it could serve to inspire the younger generation here that they too can make a difference and help to create the kind of society they wish to live in.
Malala is a young Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 because of her public efforts in demanding education for young girls in her country. Her survival and courageous spirit to not be silenced and to speak out for what she believes in has inspired millions around the world. Now she has become a global advocate for education and has been using major platforms such as the UN to lobby stakeholders for more educational opportunities for the world’s children. This certainly ties in well with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on education agreed on by UN member states to have every child in school by 2015.
Recently, Malala gave a very powerful speech at the UN where she spoke about the importance of education. Even former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy on Education Gordon Brown was quoted as saying that the teenager’s inspiring speech on every child’s right to go to school is just the beginning of a major push on education.
Malala will return to the UN in September where she will address an education summit of world leaders during the week of the full General Assembly to demand action on behalf of 57 million children around the world who have no access to any schooling.
During her maiden speech at the UN she related: “On the October 9, 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.
She added: “We realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The wise saying, ‘The pen is mightier than sword’ was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them.”
She also reflected on the real dangers faced by teachers and students in Pakistan. In January, five teachers were killed near the town of Swabi in the volatile northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the United Nations says. And, in June, a suicide bomber blew up a bus carrying 40 schoolgirls as it made its way to a girls’ campus in Quetta. Fourteen students were killed in that incident.
Malala said peace is necessary for education. “In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to go to their schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many parts of the world in many ways. In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria.
“People in Afghanistan have been affected by the hurdles of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are forced to get married at an early age. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women,” she added.
In a passionate plea, she called for leaders to wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution,” she said.
Hopefully, Malala’s efforts will result in millions more gaining access to educational opportunities that seemed impossible before.