The recent passage of the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act, a bill that will provide at least 1,500 new USAID scholarships specifically for Pakistani women, is just one of many new women’s educational initiatives inspired by the courage and determination of the young activist Malala Yousafzai.
As a schoolgirl in Pakistan, Yousafzai began writing a blog for BBC Urdu chronicling life under the Taliban regime from a young person’s perspective. Although the blog was anonymous, she also spoke out often in public, frequently on social issues such as the importance of women’s education and the right of girls to attend school. Targeted by the Taliban for her outspokenness and progressive opinions, Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while taking a bus home from school on October 9, 2012. Though her condition was critical, Yousafzai went on to make an amazing recovery. Today, she is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the world’s most high-profile proponent for education.
Inspired by Yousafzai’s story, existing and new organizations around the world have taken up the cause of women’s education in her name. Among the many examples are the Malala Fund, an international fund co-founded by Yousafzai and her father, which supports small organizations led by local leaders, as well as numerous scholarship programs offered by countries ranging from Australia to Canada.
As a schoolgirl in Pakistan, Yousafzai began writing a blog for BBC Urdu chronicling life under the Taliban regime from a young person’s perspective. Although the blog was anonymous, she also spoke out often in public, frequently on social issues such as the importance of women’s education and the right of girls to attend school. Targeted by the Taliban for her outspokenness and progressive opinions, Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while taking a bus home from school on October 9, 2012. Though her condition was critical, Yousafzai went on to make an amazing recovery. Today, she is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the world’s most high-profile proponent for education.
Inspired by Yousafzai’s story, existing and new organizations around the world have taken up the cause of women’s education in her name. Among the many examples are the Malala Fund, an international fund co-founded by Yousafzai and her father, which supports small organizations led by local leaders, as well as numerous scholarship programs offered by countries ranging from Australia to Canada.