Global Women and their Impact: Malala Yousafzai
/Every woman can make a difference, and we all do, in our very own way. We have an impact on our family, our children, friends and coworkers. And they influence us - how much have we learned from our mothers, grandmothers, siblings and best friends, even if we sometimes don’t want to admit it?
In our new series “Global Women and their Impact” we want to introduce women from different countries and show how they have influenced society, the entrepreneurship and business world and their industry.
Asia: Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She became an international symbol of the fight for girls’ education for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education in her home country of Pakistan.
Malala was born July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where her family ran a chain of schools. Her father was a passionate education advocate and an inspiration to Malala.
In 2007, the Taliban began to take control and became the dominant socio-political force throughout much of northwestern Pakistan. The Taliban destroyed schools and banned girls from attending school. Malala, and her father, became a critic of the tactics and firmly believed in the right to an education.
In 2009, Malala had begun writing a blog anonymously on the Urdu language site of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about the increasing military activity in her hometown. Despite her identity being revealed, Malala and her father continued to speak out for educational rights.
Over the next three years, Malala and her father became known throughout Pakistan for their determination to give Pakistani girls access to a free quality education. Her activism resulted in a nomination for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011. That same year, she was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize.
On October 9, 2012 Malala was sitting on a bus home from school when she was shot by the Taliban. She was taken to the UK for surgery, treatment and therapy. This attack led to a global outpouring of support for Malala. On her 16th birthday, Malala spoke at the United Nations and later that year she published her first book, an autobiography entitled “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.”
Also in 2013, Malala and her father co-founded the Malala Fund to bring awareness to the social and economic impact of girls' education. In December 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Currently residing in Birmingham, Malala is an active proponent of education as a fundamental social and economic right.
Global Women of Impact is a blog series launched in March 2022 to celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. It features influential women around the globe and how they each made a difference in their field. Written by Nina Bader, Diversity & Inclusion Facilitator and Martha Fallon, Social Media Coordinator, Young Women in Business Vancouver.