Courageous, inspiring Pakistani teenager recovering well and continuing fight for girl’s education
Malala Yousafzai, who is recovering from surgery she had in Britain on Saturday, said she is feeling well and “eager to serve,” announcing the formation of a new Malala fund to support girls’ education.
Malala, who is 15, was speaking publicly for the first time since she was shot on a school bus in October by the Taliban in Pakistan, after campaigning for girls’ rights.
Her statement was recorded before Saturday’s surgery: “Today you can see that I’m alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone and today I can speak and I’m getting better day by day.
“It’s just because of the prayers of people, because all the people – men, women, children – all of them have prayed for me.
“Because of these prayers, God has given me this new life and this is a second life.
“I want to serve the people and I want every girl, every child, to be educated and for that reason we have organised the Malala Fund.”
The Malala Fund was set up by the international non-profit Vital Voices. The first grant will go to an organisation in the Malala’s home region of the Swat Valley in Pakistan and aims to encourage girls to go to school.
Malala has been nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.