Malala was born in 1997 in Swat Valley in Pakistan, which once took pride in being called "the Switzerland of Pakistan”, with its beautiful and peaceful scenery. This changed in 2007, when Swat became Taliban territory. When Malala was 11 years old in 2009, the Taliban banned girls from attending school. Malala began writing a blog under a pseudonym which caught the attention of filmmaker Adam B. Ellick. Later that year, he made a New York Times documentary about Malala’s life: Class Dismissed: Malala’s Story. Malala's fame rose and she began speaking out publicly for girls’ rights to education.
While taking her school bus in 2012, Malala was shot on the left side of her head by a Taliban gunman. After months of surgeries and rehabilitation in the UK, Malala became a global icon of courage and decided to dedicate her life to advocating for girls’ education.
I believe we will see every girl in school in my lifetime.
In 2013, Malala co-authored I Am Malala, which became an international best seller. With her father in 2014, Malala established the Malala Fund, a charity dedicated to giving every girl the opportunity to learn and lead. Recognizing Malala’s work, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014, making her the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.
In 2018, Malala began studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. With more than 130 million girls out of school today, Malala’s mission is to ensure all girls receive 12 years of free, safe, quality education.