US officials celebrate Malala Day

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Malala
Malala Yousafzai addressing audience

Washington DC, 13 July 2022 (TDI): The world celebrated Malala Day on July 12, the birthday of Malala Yousafzai, known for her fight for girls’ education.

Malala received birthday greetings from different US officials on the day, praising her for her advocacy of girls’ education.

Birthday Wishes from US officials

US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken took to his Twitter wishing Malala a happy 25th birthday. He tweeted “A survivor, a leader, a hero, and advocate for women & girls everywhere.

The youngest Nobel peace prize winner ever. You are wise and brave beyond your years. Wishing you many more!”

The former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, also took to her Twitter and wished “Happy birthday to a leader who uses her voice to lift up others.”

Former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama, celebrated Malala Day with an interactive activity with Girls Opportunity Alliance. She, like others, also took to her Twitter and shared the responses of young women on how Malala inspires them.

Who is Malala Yousafzai?

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist known for her advocacy for the right of education for girls. In her teenage, she spoke publicly against the prohibition of girls’ education imposed by the Taliban.

This made her a target, and in October of 2012,  a masked gunman shot her on her way home from school. She survived the assassination attempt at the mere age of 15, which also gained global attention.

In 2014, she along with her father established the Malala Fund a charity dedicated to giving every girl her rights. In recognition of her work, she was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with Kailash Satyarthi.

Her efforts and her work made her the youngest-ever Nobel laureate. Through her fund, she invests in developing countries’ educators and activists and inspires them to join her fight.

She also travels to many countries to meet girls fighting poverty, wars, child marriage, and gender discrimination. Malala recently graduated in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford, in 2020.