Speaking on camera for the first time since she survived an assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban last year, the young activist Malala Yousafzai began with the words, “Today you can see that I’m alive.†The 15-year-old, who was shot in the head as she left school in the Pakistan’s Swat Valley four months ago, promised that she would continue to be an outspoken advocate of the right for “every girl, every child, to be educated.â€
In the brief message, the young advocate attributed her survival to the prayers of her supporters and urged them to contribute to a fund established in her name to further the cause of education for girls. “Because of these prayers, God has given me this new life,†Ms. Yousafzai said. “And this is a second life; this is a new life. An I want to serve, I want to serve the people.â€
According BBC News, the English-language statement was recorded before Ms. Yousafzai underwent surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham last week to repair damage to her skull caused by the bullet fired into her head at point-blank range in October.
Fatima Manji of Britain’s Channel 4 News reports that the activist also released statements in Urdu and Pashto, languages spoken in Pakistan a! nd Afghanistan.
The video message was posted online by the Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nongovernmental organization based in Washington that will administer the new “Malala Fund,†in cooperation with the young activist and her family. In its mission statement, Vital Voices says it exists to “identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities.â€
