Seventeen-year-old Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner on Friday for her work in furthering education for children. Malala, a schoolgirl and education campaigner from Pakistan who was shot twice in the head by the Taliban in 2012, accepted the award with humility and grace.”I really believe in peace. I really believe in tolerance and patience.
I used to say that I do not think I deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. I still believe that,
” said Yousafzai as she addressed a crowd in Birmingham, UK. In true form, Yousafzai waited until after her school day was complete to speak to the press, hours after the Nobel Prize’s announcement (she got word of the win while in chemistry class). “Despite her youth, Malala YousafzaI has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations,” the Nobel committee said in a statement.“This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.” Yousafzai, and Kailash Satyarthi of India, shared the Nobel Peace Prize for work fighting extremism and child labor at great risk to their own lives. Yousafzai said that the award going to people from the two neighboring countries demonstrated a new step in the peace process between the often-feuding nations.
“We will try to build strong relationships between India and Pakistan,” she said, adding that she and Satyarthi planned to invite the leaders of their countries to the official acceptance event. Yousafzai said she hoped that her receipt of the award would encourage children internationally to speak out for their rights. “I decided that I would speak up. Through my story I want to tell other children all around the world they should stand up for their rights,” said Yousafzai.
“They should not wait for someone else. This award is especially for them, it gives them courage.”
0 Comments:
Post a Comment