Malala Yousafzai

Born in 1997, Malala Yousafzai grew up in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan with her parents and two brothers. From the age of 10, Malala has campaigned for the rights of girls to receive an education. Using a pseudonym, Malala wrote a blog for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule and her views on promoting education for girls.

In October 2012, the then 15-year-old Malala was shot by the Taliban while traveling home from school on the bus with her friends.

Following the attack, Malala was flown to Birmingham to receive treatment at the specialist Queen Elizabeth hospital, and by March 2013 she had made a remarkable recovery and was well enough to return to school.

Now living in Birmingham with her family, Malala continues to campaign for the right of every child to go to school. Since the attack, she has become internationally known for her courage in refusing to be silenced and continuing her fight for the right of everyone to receive an education.

Malala’s bravery and unwavering dedication to her cause has seen her honored throughout the world, including being named as one of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2013 by Time magazine. She is also the winner of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought and Conscience, the International Children’s Peace Prize, the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award, the Premi Internacional Catalunya Award of Catalonia, the Simone de Beauvior Prize, The Oklahoma City Reflections of Hope Award and has been honoured with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award and Glamour’s Woman of the Year Award 2013. Malala was also nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize and is the author of the international bestseller I AM MALALA published in over 27 territories.

Following the outpouring of support that Malala received throughout her ordeal, she set up an international fund -- the Malala Fund -- which is dedicated to help promote education for girls throughout the world.