by Emily Keaveney
image: thisismalalablog.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/malala-5.jpg
Malala’s effort to fight for girls' education did not go unnoticed. In 2011, Malala received Pakistan’s first ever Youth Peace Prize. This prize caught the Taliban’s eye, and made them want to find Malala. After Malala’s recovery from the Taliban's attack, she knew her fight for women's rights was far from over. Malala’s popularity grew at a rapid pace from the news of her attack. People all over the world began supporting Malala and recognizing her bravery.
In 2013, Malala published her book, I am Malala: The Story of a Girl Who Stood Up For Education and was Shot by the Taliban, which was written about her fight against the Taliban; it quickly became a bestseller (“Malala Yousafzai: See Some of Her Best Accomplishments.”). Malala soon began receiving the recognition she deserved. Gabrielle Giffords, a Congresswoman, spoke about the strength and courage Malala has and how she is an influence to all: “Malala is a testament that women everywhere will not be intimidated into silence. We will make our voices heard.” (Gabrielle Giffords, Malala Yousafzai: See Some of Her Best Accomplishments). Due to the rise in Malala’s popularity and recognition, people everywhere became inspired by her. She was named one of the most influential teens in Time magazine. Malala was recognized everywhere for her bravery, strength, and endurance to fight for women's rights–but the awards did not stop there.
In 2015, great accomplishments arose for Malala. As a junior in high school, she was awarded runner-up for the title of Person of the Year in TIME magazine. Malala also spoke at the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference as she was filming and planning to release her documentary as well (“Malala Yousafzai: See Some of Her Best Accomplishments”). She and her father also put their values on equal education together to create the Malala Fund, which is a non-profit organization that advocates for girls’ education (Yousafzai). The Malala fund is very successful today in raising money for areas all across the globe that do not or cannot have safe spaces for girls to attend school.
Malala also advocated for migrants. She spoke out to inform the world about the Syrian refugee crisis. People fled Syria due to an unsafe government, lack of education, food shortages, and rising tensions. Syria was not a safe place for families, so people began making the journey to seek asylum in safer countries. Malala wanted to protect the future of Syria and improve their education system (“Malala Yousafzai: See Some of Her Best Accomplishments”). Her goal was to inform the world about the tensions and issues Syria faces to help the children and those struggling.
Malala is one of the most influential women across the globe. She is a role model and an inspiration to many. At a young age, she risked her life to stand up against extremists and show everyone that girls and boys deserve equal rights. Malala inspired many young girls to follow her lead and stand up for their rights to an education. To say the least, her hard work definitely paid off. She has been on talk shows, met with celebrities, spoke at United Nation conferences, and been awarded many prizes. People look up to Malala’s strength and courage against the terrible conditions she underwent.
Works Cited
Malala Yousafzai: See Some of Her Best Accomplishments.” Time, Time, 12 July 2016, https://time.com/4402630/malala-yousafzai-accomplishments/.
Yousafzai, Malala. “Our Work.” Malala Fund, https://malala.org/our-work
Commenti