Once upon a time, a girl was born in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. She lived with her two brothers, parents and two pet chickens. She was a very brave girl. She loved books and would look for sources to gain knowledge. She wanted to study and reach the top, and do something substantial for her country. Sadly, her valley was later occupied by Taliban who banned education for girls and destroyed every girls' schools in the area. They banned television and other mediums of communication and enjoyment, too. In fact, the Taliban killed everyone who supported education. In early 2009, the girl who was then 11 years old took a bold stance with the help of her father and wrote a blog for the BBC Urdu under the pseudonym ‘Gul Makai'. In her entries, the young terrified girl wrote about the atrocities the people in her valley were going through day and night for every petty issue. She expressed the pain of herself and her people. And, it wasn't long before the world soon came to know about her; numerous efforts were made by prominent authorities worldwide to help liberate the people of Swat from the savage rule. In a video posted on YouTube of a press conference, the bold, young girl talks about how she along with her friends pursued their education. The people of Taliban who had taken over their valley, after much negotiations, had allowed girls to study only till grade four. But, that young girl was in grade five then. So, she with her friends would then dress in plain clothes, hide their course books under their scarves and go to school pretending to be grade four students. This bliss was also short-lived, for soon Taliban attacked and burned all the girls' schools in the valley. For her courageous acts she was nominated for International Children's Peace Prize; she received the National Youth Peace Prize; she was named as Tribune Game changer and was awarded the country's third highest Civilian bravery award. This young girl who is known for boldness and love for education is Malala Yosufzai. On October 9, Taliban attacked Yosufzai. They shot her twice when she was on her way back home from school after giving her exams. Yousfzai is currently being treated in Britain. She is only 14. Doctors say that she is strong and will get well soon. Let us all join hands and pray to Allah for her quick recovery, so that she can stand up against the Taliban and fight for girls' education in her valley. She had the will power and courage to bring the change in her society. Like her we can also bring about a change in our lives and society if we act like Yousfzai.
