In January 2008, when Malala Yousafzai was only 11 years old, she had to bid farewell to her classmates, uncertain of when or if she would ever see them again.

The Taliban had recently seized control of their town in the Swat District of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. During that time, the extremists imposed bans on activities such as owning a television, playing music, and, most notably, educating girls. They also implemented severe punishments for anyone who disobeyed their commands.

ALSO READ: Women achieve only 60% of their full potential- report

Malala, of Pakistani origin, was born in 1997 to a family that did not discriminate based on gender among their children. This was especially true because her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was a teacher and ran a girls’ school called Khushal Girls High School and College in their village.

Displeased with the Taliban’s direction, the activist, who was a teenager at the time, made the decision to publicly speak out against her country’s ban on girls’ education.

One day, her father took her to a local press club in Peshawar to protest the school closings, and she gave her first speech, "How Dare the Taliban Take Away My Basic Right to Education?” which was publicised throughout Pakistan.

ALSO READ: Resilient pioneers and daring dreams: The daunting journey of Afghan women to Rwanda

Her activism nearly cost her life. When she was 15 years old, Malala was shot in the head by a masked gunman while she was on her way home from school. Fortunately, she survived.

The incident sparked protests, and her cause gained global support, leading to a petition that called for all children worldwide to return to school by 2015. Additionally, it prompted the ratification of Pakistan’s first Right to Education bill, among other demands.

This also earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her efforts on behalf of children’s rights, making her the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, as well as earning her many other nominations.

ALSO READ: Girls’ Clubs to be scaled up in Rwanda’s public schools

With the assistance of her social activist and educator father, Malala founded the Malala Fund, a charitable organization committed to providing vulnerable girls with the chance to pursue the future they desire. In 2015, she further utilized the Malala Fund to establish a girls’ school in Lebanon, specifically for refugees affected by the Syrian Civil War.

She also continued with her studies in England, where she graduated from the University of Oxford in 2020.

ALSO READ: Women and architecture: Meet the young creative force reshaping the future of design

Malala who is in Kigali for the ongoing Women Deliver 2023 Conference, spoke at a side event themed the ‘Fireside Chat’ on July 18, alongside her father in a chat moderated by Maliha Khan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Women Deliver.

"It’s a continuous fight, as we are yet to have all girls able to receive 12 years of free, safe, and quality education,” she said.

"I’ve met leaders who are sometimes hesitant and fail to use the right words. They make broad general commitments to gender equality but never mention what they plan to do to make it a reality. I tell them to begin by aiding girls who are fighting poverty, wars, child marriage, and gender discrimination to get into school,” she continued.

"To create a world where girls are allowed to just be, learn and lead, there is a need to hold accountable our leaders, parents, and everyone else, but most importantly to develop more passionate, unbiased educators and activists, like what we do through the Malala Fund’s Education Champion Network,” Yousafzai (Malala’s father) added.

Malala was named after the Afghan heroine Malalai, or Malala, who is known to have purportedly led her people to victory against the British in the 1880 Battle of Maiwand.

"I know I could choose to live a quiet life but instead, I choose to continue to fight until every girl can go to school, so I can live to see a world where all girls are free to learn and lead,” Malala said.