Malala Yousafzai is a 16-year-old advocate for girls’ education and for that, she was targeted by the Taliban when she was 14. The taliban shot her in the head in an assassination attempt but Malala survived and was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On the day of the Girl Child, she met with President Barack Obama and his family at the white house. Malala said in a statement after the meeting that she was honored to meet with the president, who is himself a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
“I thanked President Obama for the United States’ work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact.”
The president during the meeting, signed a proclamation to mark the International Day of the Girl, which says in part that “on every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream.”
Malala has just had her memoir titled “I am Malala” published last week, and is using it to raise money towards a global fund for girl education.
