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Malala Yousafski was born in Mingora, Pakistan. Welcoming a baby girl is not always cause for celebration in Pakistan — but Malala's father was determined to give her every opportunity a boy would have. -
When Malala was just 11, the Taliban took over her town and banned many things like owning a television. They enforced harsh punishments for those who defied their orders. They also said girls could no longer go to school. -
On September 1, 2008, when Yousafzai was 11 years old, her father took her to a local press club in Peshawar to protest the school closings, and she gave her first speech. Her speech was publicized throughout Pakistan. -
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) approached Yousafzai’s father in search of someone who might blog for them about what it was like to live under Taliban's rule. Under the name Gul Makai, Malala began writing regular entries for BBC Urdu about her daily life.
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In February 2009, Malala made her first television appearance, when she was interviewed by Pakistani journalist and talk show host Hamid Mir on the Pakistan current events show Capital Talk.
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In late February the Taliban, responding to an increasing backlash throughout Pakistan, agreed to a cease-fire, lifted the restriction against girls, and allowed them to attend school on the condition that they wear burkas. -
Violence resurged only a few months later, in May. Malala and her family fled the region for their safety, but they returned when tensions and violence eased. -
Malala was nominated by human rights activist Desmond Tutu for the International Children’s Peace Prize. -
Malala was awarded Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize (later renamed the National Malala Peace Prize). -
On her way home from school, a masked gunman boarded Malala's school bus. He then asked “Who is Malala?" and proceeded to shoot Malala in the head. -
After being shot, Malala woke up in Birmingham, England for surgery. She recovered, staying with her family in Birmingham, where she returned to her studies and to activism.
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Malala won the United Nations Human Rights Prize which is awarded every five years. -
Malala and her father established Malala Fund, a charity dedicated to giving every girl an opportunity to achieve a future she chooses. https://malala.org/ -
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 but passed over that year, Malala in 2014 won the prize, becoming the youngest Nobel laureate. (17 years old) -
After winning the Nobel Prize, Malala continued to attend school in England. She began studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. She graduated from the University in 2020 while continuing to use her enhanced public profile to bring attention to human rights issues around the world.
