Malala Yousafzai

While we are lost in the troubles of our life, we often forget that the world is still developing. A lot of what we see is a privileged society while there is still an entirely different world that struggles with many of the things that seem natural to us. One of the personalities that have come from such a world and fought to make it a better place is Malala Yousafzai. You might have heard of her on the news or online but have you ever wondered what it is that she actually did?

Malala Yousufzai won the Nobel Peace prize at the age of seventeen and is one of only two Pakistanis ever to have won such an honor. Among other things, she is a human rights activist and more specifically a women’s educational rights activist. Through sheer perseverance, she has turned her ideals into an international movement that works hard to make a difference. Her story originated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where terrorists had often made it difficult for women to go to school. Unlike many in her village, she was not ready to accept this as a third-world reality. Instead, she raised her voice against the terrorists and got shot in the process. Fortunately, she survived and became a symbol to millions of struggling women to be brave, advocate peace, and fight for prosperity.

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When we think of what Malala Yousufzai has accomplished, we realize that we are not all born the same. We all come from different backgrounds and have to fight different battles. It is up to us whether or not we choose the battles that help us get ahead in the long run and it is also up to us if we choose to fight battles for those around us so not only do we get ahead as individuals, but an entire community manages to take a step forward and the world becomes a better place.