Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who the Taliban tried to kill over her advocacy for girls’ education, celebrated her 17th birthday in Nigeria, renewing calls to bring back the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April.
Malala met President Goodluck Jonathan, who assured her he would rescue the 219 girls still held by Boko Haram. Many have fiercely criticized Jonathan for repeatedly stating his commitment to rescuing the girls — but then failing to actually act.
Malala also met with some of the families of the kidnapped schoolgirls and the organizers of the now viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The activist used her birthday to release a video to support her latest campaign, #StrongThan. “What are you stronger than?” the video asks. “Show it to the world on this #MalalaDay.”
On Twitter, Malala reiterated her support for all school children everywhere deprived of their right to education.
"10.5 million children in Nigeria do not have access to education. Around 400 girls are abducted by Boko Haram." -Malala
"7 million children in Pakistan are deprived of education. And about 900,000 people are homeless due to miliatry operations"
"Girls from Syria who were once in schools and learning, now live in a camp, and struggle to understand life in a new country as a refugee."
"Bc of conflict btwn Gaza and Israel people are badly suffering on both sides and recently many children died in air strikes on Palestine"
Aslew of leading politicians, NGOs, and celebrities shared their birthday wishes with Malala on Twitter and expressed their support using her favorite hashtags.
WHO IS MALALA
Malala Yousafzai , born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani school pupil and education activist. She is known for her activism for rights to education and for women , especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from going to school. In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, Yousafzai wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for 22 girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary by journalist Adam B. Ellick was filmed about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region. Yousafzai rose in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, 9 October 2012, Malala boarded her school bus in the northwest Pakistani district of Swat. A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a Colt 45 at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of Malala's forehead, traveled under her skin the length of her face and then into her shoulder
In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, for intensive rehabilitation. On 12 October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwa against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated its intent to kill Yousafzai and her father.
The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Yousafzai.United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Yousafzai's name, using the slogan "I am Malala" and demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015 – a petition which helped lead to the ratification of Pakistan's first Right to Education Bill. In 29 April 2013 issue of Time magazine, Yousafzai was featured on the magazine's front cover and as one of " The 100 Most Influential People in the World". She was the winner of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize .On 12 July 2013, Yousafzai spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education, and in September 2013 she officially opened the Library of Birmingham Yousafzai is the recipient of the Sakharov Prize for 2013. On 16 October 2013 the Government of Canada announced its intention that the Parliament of Canada confer Honorary Canadian citizenship upon Yousafzai. In February 2014, she was nominated for the World Children's prize in Sweden. In April 2014 it was announced that Yousafzai will be granted an honorary degree by the University of Kings College in Halifax on May 15, 2014.
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