“In some parts of the world,
students are going to school every day. It's their normal life. But in other
part of the world, we are starving for education... it's like a precious gift.
It's like a diamond”.
14 years old was Malala’s age
when she and her family had learned that the Taliban had issued a death threat
against her, and the only reason why was that she did not want to have her
basic right of education taken from her. For a long and exhausting year, Malala
was under constant pressure, not knowing when or if she was going to be
attacked. On October 9, 2012, on her way home from school, a man boarded the
bus Malala was riding in and demanded to know which girl was Malala. When her
friends looked toward Malala, her location was given away. The gunman fired at
her, hitting Malala in the left side of her head; the bullet then traveled down
her neck. Two other girls were also injured in the attack.
The result of the shooting
left poor Malala in critical condition, so she was flown to a military hospital
in Peshawar. A portion of her skull was removed to treat her swelling brain.
Once she was sent to the United Kingdom for further care, she received multiple
surgeries that thankfully took her out of a medically induced coma. In March
2013, she was able to begin attending school in Birmingham.
When I was given this task to
complete, instantly Malala’s name and story entered my mind. Her story is
incredible. She truly believed in the power and right for young women to have
an education, and she never did forget that. At the age of 17, Malala Yousafzai
became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In congratulating
Yousafzai, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: “She is the pride of
Pakistan, she has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparalleled
and unequaled. Girls and boys of the world should take lead from her struggle
and commitment."
