Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17, become the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Born on July 12, 1997, Yousafzai became an advocate for girls’ education when she herself was still a child, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gun man shot Malala when she was travelling home from school. She survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a speech to the United Nations and published her first book, “I Am Malala”. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pronounced July 12th Yousafzai’s birthday-“Malala Day” in honor of the young leader’s activism to ensure education for all children.

By
Sneha Sansare