IWD 2021 – Malala Yousafzai- Pakistan

Although IWD is celebrated on March 8^th, there are so many women whose work has improved numerous lives throughout the world, some of who are our very own, within the IAM. Throughout the month of March we will feature women from different parts of the world and historical eras to remind us that the women’s movement indeed has deep and long roots. Follow us as we learn together about women who have left a mark on history and society.

Not only the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala is a global symbol of the fight for female education and advancement, and more broadly, human rights advocacy. After the Taliban occupied the region in which she lived, and banned many things, including schooling for girls, Malala continued going to school and advocated for girls’ rights to education. She even wrote a blog under a pseudonym detailing her life under the Taliban. Consequently, she became the target for the Taliban, suffering a vicious attack and attempted murder, which left her fighting for her life. But, this did not stop her.

She went on to establish a global non-profit organization whose goal is to ensure 12 years of free and obstructed education for girls. The organization is based in several countries, such as, Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. She also recently graduated from Oxford University.