World Malala Day 2023: 10 interesting facts about the youngest Nobel prize laureate

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World Malala Day is a day to honour and celebrate Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Every year people from all across the world celebrate World Malala Day on July 12. Malala is an incredible inspiration to many people around the world, and her commitment to education, especially for girls, is truly remarkable. To commemorate this special day, here are 10 interesting facts about the youngest Nobel laureate.

1. Malala was born in Mingora, a city in the Swat Valley located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In 2008, when Malala was only 11 years old, Taliban militants invaded Mingora and began to force people to accept their rule or face grave consequences. Malala bravely spoke out against the Taliban’s oppressive policies and soon became a target. 
2. In 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while she was on her way home from school. Miraculously, she survived and was flown to England for treatment. Although she suffered physical and emotional trauma from the incident, she used it as motivation to continue her fight for girls' rights and education. 
3. After recovering from her injuries, Malala founded the Malala Fund – an organization dedicated to providing girls with access to quality education. She also wrote her first book I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. 
4. In 2014, at just 17 years old, Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”
5. During her acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Malala gave a powerful speech where she called on world leaders to invest in educational opportunities for every child around the world: “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world." 
6. In 2015, she became an honorary Canadian citizen – making her only the sixth person in history to receive such an honour. She also opened an all-girls school in Lebanon that same year – which offers refugee girls a free quality education. 
7. In 2017, Malala graduated from Oxford University where she studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). During her time at Oxford, she was praised for her academic achievements by fellow students and professors alike. 
8. In 2018, at just 21 years old, Malala was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peacemaking her one of only 11 people in history to receive the honour. In 2020 she was awarded Amnesty International’s highest honour – The Ambassador of Conscience Award – for her work fighting for human rights around the world. 
9. In 2021, Malala became a published author with her second book We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around The World which highlighted stories of refugee girls from around the world who have been forced to flee their homes due to war or persecution. 
10. Most recently in 2022, Malala launched a new initiative called The Malala Network which offers mentorship and resources to young women around the world who are working to create change within their communities for gender equality.