- When I was 13, I watched
as my 15 years old cousin's
dream of completing her
education and becoming a pilot
fell away.
She was taken out of school
and forced to marry a man
twice her age.
My cousin's story is a story
of many girls across Pakistan.
These girls have hopes to become doctors,
teachers, politicians, but
instead they are forced
to become brides.
I couldn't let this continue.
At age 16, I founded
organization Aware Girls
to help girls in Pakistan
develop leadership skills
and teach them to
advocate for their rights.
One of the young women who
attended our program in 2011
is here today.
You might have heard of her.
Her name Malala Yousafzai.
Every day I work with girls like Malala.
They understand that
if they don't speak out
for their rights, their
world will not change.
They participate in our programs
and return to their communities
as agents of change.
As a Malala Fund Gulmakai champion
I'm able to support these girls
and their part to the classroom.
I have connected with other organizations
who shared our mission to
see every girl in school.
Together we are conducting
a joint research
on the barriers preventing girls in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
from completing their secondary school.
We need to invest in the
next generation of leaders,
the next generation of Malalas.
When is a girl is educated and empowered,
she not only changes her own life,
she changes her family, her community,
and sometime even the world.
Thank you.
