LAHORE: A promising Khyber Pakhtunkhwa student who boldly stood up for girls education in face of threats from the Taliban has been awarded a runner-up prize by the Dutch organisation 'KidsRights.'
Malala Yousafzai, a 13-year-old student of the Swat Valley, has earned herself 'International Children's Peace Prize' instituted by the Dutch organisation.
(Read: Undaunted courage: 13-year-old Swat girl gets National Peace Prize)
Yousufzai was one of only five children chosen from a pool of 98 originally put forward by organisations and individuals from 42 different countries. She participated in Open Minds project initiated in Swat by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR).
(Read: Agents of change: Girls armed with education fight for their rights)
She used the lessons she had learned in the programme to write a series of articles for the BBC News Urdu website during her family's displacement from the Swat valley in the summer of 2009. KidsRights said that Yousufzai was nominated for this award because her writing was focused on girls’ right to education, which were restricted by the Taliban in the Swat Valley.
Yousufzai dared to stand up for herself and other girls and used national and international media to let the world know that girls should also have the right to go to school.
'Open Minds' Pakistan was IWPR's first youth-focused project. It provided journalism training to young people aged 10 to 19 in Pakistan, giving them opportunities to discuss, debate and publish reports on current affairs.
The project worked in as many as 42 schools in a mixture of seminaries, public and low fee charity schools and in rural and urban schools. The project's three-stage training course broadened students’ horizons, introducing them to national and global issues.
In addition to the classroom training, internet access was provided to the participant schools, enabling students to interact via the project’s website.
The winner of International Children's Peace Prize was 17-year-old Michaela Mycroft from South Africa.
Yousufzai is also the first Pakistani to be nominated for the prize.
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@ Naveed
There's grace in silence.
Freedom of expression/opinion also has the tendency to make people stand naked, not because they can't afford cloths, but because they are jealous.
Malala is a pride of the nation. She is an inspiration for me.
i am not from Punjab or Lahore ...just saying that her accomplishment is overrated ....I am free to express my opinions regardless of your liking or disliking! period
Great that we still have brave people who stand against bad
@bangash: Yes, there were a few Generals with this surname. You would know better.
This girl is far braver than any Pakistani General.
@Naveed: Sitting in the comfortable lawns of Lahore, what you know of terror that this bigger brother inflicted and inflicts on the innocent beautiful Pashtoons. If we can't celebrate with them, lets not be so jealous. The whole world now knows who is doing the bad things in this country and yeah i'm from Punjab myself but i do feel for our brothers and sisters in the north.
i have seen number of reports of her in media and i think she i over rated and hyped... !!!
Congratulations to malala...she is not only brave but sensible as well....how can you imagine no education for girls in todays time. However, I have my own doubts that Mallala would able to study enough while being in SWAT and lead a dignified life where she owns herself.
@Naveed: yes, and you in your drawing room are fighting the war on terror. grow up. at least give some credit to the person when she do well,
Good good.. We are proud of you little sister.. =)
this kid is grossly overrated in terms of her so called fight against terror.
Hats off to Malala....Pride of the Nation..