Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani education activist, turned 24 years old on July 12.
Yousafzai was born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan, and has been advocating for girls’ education since 2008, when the Taliban prohibited young girls from attending school in the Swat region.
The activist used Instagram to thank her followers for their support on her birthday.
The caption said, “242, 42, or 24… age is just a number.”
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Malala became famous when the Taliban attacked her in 2012 for defying the restrictions on girls’ education in her village. After being shot in the face, the then-teenager was taken to the hospital. Later, the Pakistani authorities transferred her to the United Kingdom for treatment.
Malala has been residing in the United Kingdom since the attack. Last year, she graduated from the University of Oxford with a bachelor’s degree.
Since her near-death incident, She has received worldwide media attention and has given many interviews in newspapers and television programmes. She is also the co-founder of Malala Fund, a non-profit organization.
Malala gave a historic address at the United Nations offices in New York nine months after being shot.
The Nobel Laureate emphasized the need for universal access to women’s education. She also urged global leaders to change their policies and give all children with free, compulsory education.
She recieved a standing ovation for her powerful and moving speech in the United Nations.
Since the speech was given on her birthday, the UN declared that July 12 henceforth, will be observed as ‘Malala Day’ to honor the young activist.
