Magnificent Malala

Malala Yousafzai Inspires me more than I can say.

She won a Nobel Peace Prize last Friday for her “Struggle against the suppression of children” and her commitment to children’s rights around the world.

After surviving horrific and life-threatening gunshot wounds to the face by the Taliban just two years ago, the 17-year-old Pakistani girl took her fight for peace and gender equality to the world stage, and she was heard. The people that shot Malala wanted to scare young women away from being educated. What they ended up doing was giving an amazing girl the platform she needed to raise awareness and support to ensure that thousands more girls would get an education.

She created the Malala Fund which aims to empower girls everywhere. Her passion for education may have been influenced by her mother. Growing up Malala’s mother was never taught to read, something she is now remedying.

The Global Partnership for Education, which works in low-income countries to ensure basic education for all, has said that a grant from the Malala Fund would support the first-ever youth delegation at a world education conference in Brussels. Malala is quoted as saying “I believe all countries can do more.” At this year’s Clinton Global Initiative, Malala announced that her fund is pledging a $3 million multi year commitment, in partnership with Echidna Giving, toward education in developing countries, according to ABC News. Some of those funds will go toward a girls’ education summit this December.

As well as being a passionate advocate for education Malala has also become a global voice for the Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram. She urged the Nigerian President Mr Jonathan to meet with parents of the 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist group, and further his commitment to bring the girls home safely. “My birthday wish this year is ‘Bring back our girls’ now and alive, Malala said.

At the start I wrote that I find Malal Yousafzai unbelievably inspiring. If you do too, why not make your Friday act of Kindness one which will help young women in education around the world. Support the Malala Fund or any other organisation that aims to give women the chance to learn, to educate themselves and to have lives that have choices and freedom.

I live in the UK. We can often think that there is injustice between how Men and Women are treated. There may be discrepancies between wages, there may be fewer women politicians and CEO’s than I would like and there may be institutionalised sexism in our forces and police, but we are fighting to change this. Take up the fight for equal rights for all – in the world, in your own country, in your own religion, in your own workplace and in your own home.

The size of these battles varies – fight the ones that make the most difference.

If you have daughters, nieces or granddaughters teach them how lucky they are to have a chance to do anything they want. Show them what an amazing gift an education is.

What they learn, now and for the rest of their lives, is their passport to opportunity.

Have a great weekend.