On October 9th, Malala Yousafzai, a 14 year-old girl in Pakistan, was brutally shot in the head by the Taliban simply because she wanted to go to school. The world witnessed her standing up for 32 million girls around the world who are denied their right to an education every day.
Today, the world is encouraged as Malala recovers from the assassination attempt and continues her fight. A campaign to ensure that public support for Malala’s message is heard at the highest levels of Pakistan’s government has been launched by The Office of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
You can find the words “I am Malala,” adopted by young people everywhere, on t-shirts, posters and websites—challenging the Taliban and supporting the right of every girl to education.
On that day, the campaign will focus on Malala and the 32 million girls like Malala not at school. Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah will travel to Pakistan to deliver to President Zardari over a million calls (via signatures) to make education a reality for all Pakistani children. He will request that President Zardari lead governmental changes in policy to ensure girls’ education in Pakistan.
Petitions will also be handed to the United Nations to ensure international support for the push for girls education and the right of every child to go to school.
November 10th will build on the momentum of the UN Secretary General’s Education First initiative to show that for the first time in history, the world will no longer let education be a privilege for a few, but instead a right for all.
As global citizens, let’s show our solidarity with Malala and let our voices be heard: Sign the petition to call on Pakistan to agree to a plan to deliver education to all its children. Help spread the word about the “I am Malala” campaign and invite others to sign the petition.
