Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai
Getty

Details

Date of Birth:
July 12, 1997
Height:
5' 5"
Hometown:
Mingora

Bio:
Malala Yousafzai (born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12 1997) is a Pakistani school pupil and education activist from the Swat region of Pakistan. Malala has spent her life fighting for education and women’s rights in the poor parts of Pakistan, where the Taliban makes it very difficult for girls to attend school.

Malala was the subject of a New York Times documentary in 2010, that documented her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region. She has been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu, and furthermore, she has won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. She is now on her way to winning a the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen on Oct. 9 2012, when she was on her way home from school. Their assassination attempt failed. Malala was critically injured and she had to have emergency surgery, and she was later sent to the UK for a more intensive rehabilitation. In February 2012, she made her first public speech since her injury, and is expected to make a full recovery following some constructive skull surgery.

Best Known For:
Malala is best known for being a pro-education activist, and surviving being shot in the head by the Taliban.

Personal Life:
Malala was born into a Muslim family in Pakistan, and she has two younger brothers and two pet chickens. Following her shooting, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she will remain.