Phrase of the Day: THEY FAILED

An eleven year old girl with dreams and aspirations talks about what she wants to be when she grows up.  She wants to go to school to become a doctor.  As many eleven year olds are, she is vocal about going to school to become a doctor.  After a while, pretty much everyone in the town knows about it.

However, she is met with resistance.  Not the kind of resistance you might think of (i.e. being told she's not good enough, lack of money, lack or denial of financial support), but something far worse.  On October 9th of last year, when the girl is fourteen, on a school bus heading home, she was shot in the head and neck...just for wanting to be educated.

The eleven year old girl is Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who stood up to oppression and subservience.

Under the iron fist of the Taliban, girls wanting to be educated are forced into secrecy, with both them and their teachers risking death every day in doing so.  The school she attended, run by her father, was one of the final underground schools that defied Taliban orders until it was forced to close.  

Malala's persistence gained her growing recognition, as well as growing resentment from Taliban leaders.  From outside of the Taliban, her efforts earned her respect and admiration.  From the Taliban, her efforts gained her a bullet to the head that almost ended her life.  There is no doubt a documentary about her that was filmed three years before her being shot brought even more attention to her cause.

After being shot, she was treated at two military facilities in Pakistan: one just over 100 miles (168 kilometers) from where she lives, the other just over 150 miles (247 kilometers) from home.  Six days after being shot, she was moved to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, for further treatment.  In January of this year, she was released from the hospital, even though future surgeries will be necessary.  

All of this has been prologue to yesterday.  Yesterday, on her sixteenth birthday, Malala addressed the United Nations, which included several youth delegates on what was called Malala Day at the UN, continuing her message of promoting education for girls in Pakistan.  Her powerful speech can be seen below.

An amazing young girl became even more amazing.  Her passion for education for everyone is clear.  Education is a right, not for some, but for all.  In her own words, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back." 

Terry