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Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: the Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2015.

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More than 260 million children, adolescents and youth are out of school around the world, according to the United Nations. Despite some progress in achieving gender equality in the world's poorest countries, far more girls than boys still do not have access to a quality education,

Research has shown that educating girls, in particular, has a 'multiplier effect'. Educated girls are more likely to marry later and have fewer children, who in turn will be more likely to survive and to be better nourished and educated. Educated women are more productive at home and better paid in the workplace, and more able to participate in social, economic and political decision-making.

Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres designated education activist and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai as a UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls' education. Ms. Yousafzai began speaking out for girls' education at the age of 11 in her native Pakistan. After surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012, she co-founded the Malala Fund with her father Ziauddin to champion every girl's right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education.
UN News: Tell us more about the new initiative the Malala Fund is carrying out to help girls education in a number of countries.
Malala Yousafzai: The Malala Fund started the Gulmakai Network, and the goal of this mission is to empower local leaders and some local activists. So we support them and we are already working in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and also the Syrian refugee areas. So we want to increase that investment and also support local advocates, as well as local girl advocates. So for that we have $3 million and we want to expand that group, redouble our efforts, and make sure we can give to as many local activists as we can because they are the real change-makers in their community, and when we empower them, through them, we can bring change.

VIDEO: Malala Yousafzai discusses her push for global education, her motivations in continuing her campaigns, and how she came to be the person she is.
UN News: Specifically, how would you like to see this money used?
Malala Yousafzai: We will invest in local leaders and local activists. These local activists speak out, locally, nationally; they campaign for girls' education. For example, in Nigeria, our activists, together with the Malala Fund, campaigned to ensure that the Nigerian Government increased education from 9 years to 12 years. So we succeeded in that campaign and it became part of the law. We are doing similar campaigning in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We are also including teachers' training. We are also including empowering others girls and helping them so they can also talk to leaders. It also includes e-learning and other improvements in the quality of education. So it's a vast project that covers many areas but our main goal is to empower local leaders.
UN News: What are some of the things you observed in your efforts to promote girls' education during your travels?
Malala Yousafzai: So this year I went on a Girl Power trip and I went to America, Canada, then Nigeria, Iraq, and Mexico, and in these places I met amazing and incredible girls and I heard their inspiring stories. In Iraq, I met a girl called Najla. She was 14 years old when she was wearing her wedding dress and she took off her high heels and she escaped from her wedding. She ran away. And later on, her village was captured by the extremist ISIS and she was actually attacked but she did not stop. She is still continuing her education, speaking out... and she wants to be a journalist.

My goal is very clear, and that is to continue fighting for girls' education, their empowerment, their rights - Malala Yousafzai

These are the stories that inspire me but my aim is to bring these stories into a global platform like the UN and allow these girls to meet their country leaders and local leaders so their voices can be raised.
UN News: You also brought a young woman from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. What was her story? What made you bring her to the UN to speak to world leaders?
Malala Yousafzai: So in Lancaster, in America, I met this young girl, and I think she did not know what my story was but she was telling me her story. She really inspired me because she went through a lot of difficulties in her country, [DR] Congo, and how she saw brutalities in front of her eyes. Her family members were killed. She has seen worse than what we can ever imagine but she resisted all those conflicts, all those wars that she saw. And now she is in the US, she is fighting every day. She's achieving her dreams to be a nurse, and her name is Marie Claire. And I am really proud of her, and I am there to support her so she can achieve her dreams but also so she can speak for other girls like her.
UN News: What would you say is your key message to world leaders?
Malala Yousafzai: I'm just reminding them of their responsibilities - that they are holding the positions in which they are responsible for their people and for the future generation. I remind them that they have to increase investment towards schooling, towards quality education, otherwise we would lose these future generations. This would impact not just the children, not just the girls, but all of us. So we have to invest towards the 130 million girls who are out of school, we have to support them, we have to stand with them, and make changes in the law and also take action.

UN News: What can men do to help achieve education for girls?
Malala Yousafzai: Well I think men have to do a lot. My father is an inspiration because his five sisters could not go to school. So, he decided he would allow his own daughter to go to school, to get her education, and then to raise her voice. When we started campaigning in Swat Valley, when terrorism started and girl's education was banned, there were many other girls who wanted to speak out but their parents, their brothers did not allow them. My father was the one who did not stop me.

We have to believe in our sisters, in our daughters and allow them to be who they want to be - Malala Yousafzai

We have to believe in girls, we have to believe in our sisters, in our daughters and allow them to be who they want to be. As my father says, you do not have to do something, just do not clip their wings, just let them fly and let them achieve their dreams. So men have to come forward, they have to support women. It's better for the whole economy, better for each and every one of us. It will help the economy to grow even faster, it will improve the standards of living of each and every one of us, it would improve health. It also benefits the children because when women are educated, they are more likely to take care of their children, and their education, and their future.
UN News: How do you relate to your parents and brothers, and manage to have a little bit of fun in the midst of all the things you're doing?
Malala Yousafzai: So I'm grateful that I have such a beautiful family. Both of my parents have supported me and always stand with me, and for them I'm just their daughter. It's just like when other parents have a daughter, they love her, they take care of her. But then I have two younger brothers, and as usual brothers are cheeky ... We still fight, we still argue. My brothers, they just don't care what awards I'm winning or who I am or if I am ambassador or something, or UN Messenger of Peace.
UN News: When you became the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize, what did your brothers say to you?
Malala Yousafzai: So when I won the Nobel Peace Prize and I came back to the hotel where we were staying, my little brother started saying: 'Look you have won the Nobel Peace Prize but it does not mean you become a bossy sister.' They want to me be just as normal as I was.
UN News: You're getting ready to go to Oxford University. Tell us about that.

I want to help as many girls as I can to make sure they get quality education and achieve their dreams - Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai: So I always wanted to get quality education, to go to a good university, it was my dream, and now that dream has come true and I am going to Oxford. I really worked hard for it ... And I was so happy when I received the offer. I'm excited to meet new people, to make friends, to learn. It is a great place of learning. I also want to enjoy a bit as well, to have some time with friends, and just to live like a normal student.
UN News: What are you hoping to be 5, 10 years from now, after Oxford?
Malala Yousafzai: It's hard to say what I want to be in the coming 10, 20 years because my mission and my goal is very clear, and that is to continue fighting for girls' education, their empowerment, their rights. In that I will continue my journey. But in the coming years, I want to complete my education. I want to continue working on education. I want to empower more young girls like me so that it's not just about one girl speaking out but we have hundreds and thousands of girls speaking out. We give them a voice. We give them a platform. Once you encourage them, once you tell them that your voice can change the world, then they can do it, they can come forward and speak out for themselves.
UN News: Maybe you'll be UN Secretary-General?
Malala Yousafzai: I'm not sure about that.

UN News: What would you tell a young girl of eight or nine to inspire her to keep rising like you?
Malala Yousafzai: So I started speaking out when I was only 11 years old, and I did not know if my voice would have any impact or not. But when I got attacked I realized that my voice was powerful, and it did reach to those people, and they were scared of my voice. So believe in your voice, believe in yourself, and always follow your dreams. Because especially young girls, they dream big but as they grow older they start underestimating themselves, they do not believe in themselves, they don't dream big. So I would ask all young girls to dream big, as big as you can, and just follow your dreams and you can do anything.
UN News: You have shown tremendous courage, resilience. What within you gives you that power?
Malala Yousafzai: I have seen a lot in my life from terrorism, extremism, to then being attacked. And I was at the point where I had to make a decision [about] whether I want to continue my campaign for girls' education or not. And I've been away from my home in Pakistan for a long time. So going through all these situations in my life, I've learnt that, now surviving that attack, this life is for a purpose and that is for the education of children. It's only 70, 80 years that we live, and why not live it for a good purpose? Why not live it for a service that can help humanity, that can help the world. So I want to help as many girls as I can, to make sure they get quality education and achieve their dreams.

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INTERVIEW: In fighting for girls' education, UN advocate Malala Yousafzai finds her purpose

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In September, the Malala Fund started the Gulmakai Network to support the work of education champions in developing countries and speed up progress towards girls' secondary education around the world.

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Learn how Malala began her fight for girls — from an education activist in Pakistan to the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate — and how she continues her campaign through Malala Fund.

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Malala Yousafzai's acceptance speech for the Nobel peace prize 

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Malala Yousafzai's acceptance speech for the Nobel peace prize 

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Watch Malala Yousafzai's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

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When she was born her family was very poor (page 19)

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9/11 did not just affect America is also affected Malala's family and her country. "We did not realize then that 9/11 would change our world too, and would bring war into our valley" (page 57 last sentence)

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Malala's Father believes in the right of education for girls and stand up for that.

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Malala's Father believes in the right of education for girls and stand up for that.

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This man named Ghulamullah tried to close Malala's Fathers school because it was a girls school and he thought that girls should not go to school and be in purdah (Purdah is when women have to stay in a separate room so men don't see them.)  Malala's father did not let him close the school. "You should close it. Girls should not be going to school,' he continued. 'A girl is so sacred she should be in purdah, and so private that there is no lady's name in the Quran, as God doesn't want her to be named.'" (page 94 end of second paragraph)

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On the 8th of October in 2005 Swat had a very bad earthquake and some parts of Pakistan were destroyed. "The earthquake of 8 October 2005 turned out to be one of the worst in history. It was 7.6 on the Richter scale and was felt as far away as Kabul and Delhi. Our town of Mingora was largely spared - just a few buildings collapsed - but neighboring Kashmir and the northern areas of Pakistan were devastated." (page 103)

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The Taliban did not like women to be vocal

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The Taliban did not like women to be vocal

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The Taliban did not like women and girls to be seen or heard unless they were helping the them. "the girls of the Red Mosque madrasa began terrorizing the streets of Islamabad. They raided houses they claimed were being used as massage centers, they kidnapped women they said were prostitutes and closed down DVD shops, again making bonfires of CDs and DVDs. When it suits the Taliban, women can be vocal and visible." (page 126 and 127)

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The Fazlullah didn't like girls going to school

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The Fazlullah didn't like girls going to school

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Fazlullah (he was part of the Taliban) didn't like the girls going to school and some of his men started blowing up schools. The first school that they destroyed was Shawar Zangay a girls primary school in Matta. "Fazlullah kept broadcasting that girls should stay at home, and his men had started blowing up schools, usually during nighttime curfew when the children were not there." (page 137)

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Malala and some other girls gave an interview on ATV Khyber,a privately owned Pashto TV channel. When the girls were younger they did the interviews together but as they got older their fathers and brothers would not let them do the interviews they were also scared. "I wasn't the only one to be interviewed. When we were eleven and twelve, we did them together, but as we turned thirteen and fourteen, my friends' brothers and fathers didn't allow them because they had entered puberty and should observe purdah, and also they were afraid." (page 141)

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Maulana Shah Dauran said that all girls schools are close. Malala that it was a joke and didn't understand how they were allowed to do that. "Then, at the end of 2008, Fazlullah's deputy Maulana Shah Dauran announced on the radio that all girls' schools would close. From 15 January girls must not go to school, he warned. First I thought it was a joke." (page 146)

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Malala wrote a diary using the pen name Gul Makai

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Malala wrote a diary using the pen name Gul Makai

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She wrote is for the BBC Urdu website. She could not tell anyone because it could put her and her family in danger. Malala liked that name because her real name means grief stricken. "I didn't see why, as I was just a child, and who would attack a child? But some of my friends recognized incidents in it. And I almost gave the game away is one entry when I said, 'My mother liked my pen name Gul Makai and joked to my father we should change my name . . . I also like the name because my real name means 'grief-stricken.'" (page 157)

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Malala wrote a diary in 2009 about her or a girls life in Swat using the pen name Gul Makai  

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Malala wrote a diary in 2009 about her or a girls life in Swat using the pen name Gul Makai  

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Read an English translation of Malala's diary entries here. For the original BBC Urdu series, click on the links below:
In 2009, Malala Yousafzai began writing a 10 part series, "Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl" at the BBC Urdu. Published pseudonymously under the pen name "Gul Makai," a reference to a heroine in local folklore, the first entry appeared on January 2009.

If the pen name was meant to keep her identity secret, it certainly didn't work. By mid-February, the New York Times had already aired a short documentary featuring Malala and her father and their struggle to sustain a girls' school under the Taliban in Swat. That documentary had already been in production in January. It is not clear whether the NYT learned of Malala through the BBC or whether it was the other way around; in either case, the situation calls for a serious engagement with the question of media ethics. What obligation do media organizations have to their subjects? How can the voices of those living in troubled areas be handled responsibly? At best, it is a delicate game between providing a platform to courageous voices and weighing the possibly enormous ramifications for those people once the cameras are gone.

As those of us who cover these landscapes well know, media organizations evince little concern for their informants, particularly those in the Third World. The underclass of this region, especially, is cajoled for a soundbite, photographed, and filmed-whether at the doctor's office or at home-all without the usual legal detritus that would signify informed consent and, more importantly, protection, were it a First World subject. Sometimes, the subjects don't even know that they are being reported on; at other times, they may not fully understand the way in which media technologies now circulate image and information.

That may not be the situation with Malala or her family who may have decided to move forward with these public projects fully understanding the potential for negative consequences. That form of courage deserves support, but it does not eliminate the question of the ethical obligations of a media organization towards those it publicizes for profit.

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Read an English translation of Malala's diary entries here. For the original BBC Urdu series, click on the links below: In 2009, Malala Yousafzai began writing a 10 part series, "Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl" at the BBC Urdu.

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The people in her town we being pushed out by the Taliban. Staying is Swat valley was not safe for anyone so lots of people were leaving and going to stay in another town. Malala was sad, she never wanted to leave swat. (page 176)

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They moved around a lot after they left Swat

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They moved around a lot after they left Swat

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While Malala and her family where IDPs, she did an interview with a radio station called Power 99. The power 99 likes interviewing Malala so they let them use a Guesthouse. They have moved around to a lot of different places because they did want to stay in the camps that were provided for other IDPs. "Our week at the guesthouse soon ended and we went to Haripur, where one of my aunts lived. It was our fourth city in two months. I knew we were better off than those who lived in the camps, queuing for food and water for hours under the hot sun, but I missed my valley." (page 184)

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No one understood why that flood happened because people had lived next to the river in swat for about 3,000 years and nothing that bad has ever happened before. People were also very worried that the Taliban would come back and take over. The valley had just started rebuilding after that Taliban left and the flood ruined all of the work people have put in to fix the valley.

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In October 2011, Malala was nominated for the international peace prize for KidsRights. Her name was giving by Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa. She did not win and her father was upset.

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Then in December 2011, her father told her that she had been awarded the Pakistan National peace prize. Malala was the first person to win that award. Along with that award she also got half a million rupees and the award that she won was named The Malala award in honor of her. (page 215)

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Malala turned 15 on the 12th of July. In Islam that means you are an adult.

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Malala was shot in the head on Tuesday, October 9 2012 on her way to school.

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Her surgery was about 5 hours. The Doctor had to remove a piece  of her skull because her brain was swelling. They put the piece of skull in her stomach to keep it safe so they could out is back. The doctor also did a procedure so Malala could breathe. Her parents were very worried so were praying. "Inside the operating room Colonel Junaid used a saw to remove an eight-to-ten-centimeter square from the upper-left part of my skull so my brain had the space to swell. He then cut into the subcutaneous tissue on the left of my stomach and placed the piece of bone inside to preserve it. Then he did a tracheotomy, as he was worried the swelling was blocking my airway. He also removed clots from my brain and the bullet from my shoulder blade. After all these procedures I was put on a ventilator. The operation took almost five hours." (page 255)

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The Doctors wanted to move Malala to a different hospital in England for better care 

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The Doctors wanted to move Malala to a different hospital in England for better care 

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The Doctor wanted to move Malala to a different hospital for better care and to a hospital that has a extensive rehabilitation facility. Malala can not travel alone to a different country. Malala's father did not want to leave her mother and brothers alone in Pakistan ans then also did not have passports. So Malala's father signed a paper that said that one of the doctors is Malalas temporary guardian. "My father then signed an 'in loco parentis' document making Dr. Fiona my guardian for the trip to the UK. My father was in tears as he gave her my passport and took her hand." (page 269)

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A lot of famous people wanted to see Malala and some of them sent her messages. Malala even got a message from her favorite actress Angelina Jolie. She was really excited to tell her friend Moniba. "Beyonce had written me a card and posted a photo of it on Facebook, Selena Gomez had tweeted about me and Madonna had dedicated a song. There was even a message from my favorite actress and social activist, Angelina Jolie - I couldn't wait to tell Moniba. I didn't realize then I wouldn't be going home." (page 289)

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The doctors moved Malala to A hospital in England for better care

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The doctors moved Malala to A hospital in England for better care

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On the 15th of October Malala left Pakistan for the first time in her life. The doctors wanted to move Malala to the UK because they have better care and better ways for Malala to get her strength back. Malala's father did not want to leave her mother and brothers alone in Pakistan and they did not have passports. So her father signed a form that made one on the doctors Malalas temporary guardian. "My father then signed an 'in loco parentis' document making Dr. Fiona my guardian for the trip to the UK. My father was in tears as he gave her my passport and took her hand." (page 269)

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When Malala was recovering she got messages from famous people

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When Malala was recovering she got messages from famous people

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Lots of famous people were trying to see Malala and some sent her messages. She even got a message from her favorite actress Angelina Jolie. Malala was really excited to tell her friend Moniba. "Beyonce had written me a card and posted a photo of it on Facebook, Selena Gomez had tweeted about me and Madonna had dedicated a song. There was even a message from my favorite actress and social activist, Angelina Jolie - I couldn't wait to tell Moniba. I didn't realize then I wouldn't be going home."  (page 289)

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Malalas first trip outside the hospital in England  

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Malalas first trip outside the hospital in England  

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She had her first trip outside of the hospital on the 6th of December. Malala decided to go the Birmingham Botanical Gardens because she love nature.