“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai delivered her first speech since the Taliban shooting at the UN Youth Assembly on July 12, 2013, her 16th birthday. A Taliban gunman had boarded her school bus in Pakistan on October 9, 2012, asked “Who is Malala?” and shot her.
More than 500 young leaders had gathered in New York. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the day Malala Day. Her parents and 2 brothers were in the hall.
She told the room she was wearing Benazir Bhutto’s shawl, and that she didn’t know what people expected her to say. Then she called for free, compulsory education for every child, and the line has carried that call ever since.