Malala Yousafzai is a
Pakistani school pupil and education activist from the town of Mingora in the
Swat District of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistani Taliban
tried to assassinate her last October because of her strong voice in the fight
for women’s rights and youth education.
Education is a fundamental human right. It equips us with skills
that improve the quality of our lives. Skills such as reading and working
with numbers as well as accurate information on health and science provide
opportunities that would otherwise not exist. Unfortunately, due to
social, cultural, and financial constraints, access to education is still restricted to some nations.
Across the globe, millions of children are deprived access
to this basic right. A 2008 estimate states that more than half of these
children are girls. In Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Yemen girls
typically go to school for less than a year. Four out of five women do not receive any form of
education in Sub-Saharan Africa. While in Pakistan, a girl receives, on average, just two and a half years of
education; for boys, it’s double.
These facts are devastating indeed and this devastation will painfully worsen if we do not work together in alleviating the situation in the developing world. For her 16th birthday, Malala wishes
equitable education and youth empowerment. With our help, we can make it
happen.
Let's join Malala's fight for youth education. Sign the letter of support to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at aworldatschool.org/malaladay today.
--- o ---
It's true that in this life, it is not always knowledge in math equations and material chemical composition that puts food in the table. Sometimes, its simply our life experiences that help us survive. But then again, education opens more doors.
Stay happy and healthy!
