On October 9, 2012 a young Pakistani girl named Malala Yousafzai (who should have won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize but anyway...) was shot in the head and neck while on a bus home from school. I had no idea who she was but I was intrigued and heartbroken by the story. I immediately started to do some research and ended up watching the 2009 New York Times documentary about her life. Within the first few minutes of Class Dimissed, Malala starts to cry as she tells the interviewer that she wants to get an education and wants to become a doctor. Seeing Malala in that documentary and each time since then reminded me of the things I had always taken for granted - that school fees would be paid, that teachers would show up, that I was permitted to attend school, in the first place. At such a young age, Malala was risking her life not only by attending school but also by publicly advocating that all girls be allowed to attend school. It was truly inspiring. Two days after Malala's shooting, when the first International Day of the Girl Child was observed, it was so crystal clear why we need this day.
The theme for this year's IDG is "Innovating for Girls' Education" focusing on how educating girls is the key to creating a better world. Nelson Mandela said, "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." By leaving girls uneducated or with very low levels of education, we are missing out on tapping into a larger talent base and the contributions that they could offer to the world. Education is instrumental in transforming the course of girls' lives.
There are 66 million school-age girls who are not enrolled in schools. Only 30% of girls worldwide are in secondary school. Some families cannot afford to send their children, and if they can, they usually send the boys (because the girls can be married off). In communities without access to water, women and girls are tasked with collecting and transporting water among other household chores, time which could be spent in school. Lack of access to clean water also affects sanitation and hygiene -- many girls drop out of school or miss school regularly once they begin their menstrual cycle. In other cases, girls are prohibited from attending school for cultural or religious reasons. In order to get more girls into school, we have to address these and other barriers.
To Malala, all girls and women who refuse to be silenced, those who work tirelessly to empower and uplift girls. Happy International Day of the Girl!
Saw this story for the first time yesterday and I am dying to read her book. So inspirational!
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