One Voice Can Change the World

Emilia Thomas

Mrs. Alldredge

English 8

24 February 2017

One Voice Can Change the World

Everyone has opportunities to change the world with the small things we do each day that can make a big difference in the lives of others. Malala Yousafzai has influenced my thinking about ethical decision making because she stood up for her rights and the rights of girls around the world even though it meant risking her life. She was born July 12, 1997, in Mingora a town in North West Pakistan. Pakistan has the second highest amount of children that are not enrolled in school. Her father, Ziauddin ran a school and was a known advocate for girls education rights in spite of the Taliban’s restricting efforts. As Malala grew, she shared her father’s passion for learning and loved going to school. As the Taliban gained more control over the Swat district in 2009, Malala started her campaign as an education activist. She began writing a blog for the BBC Urdu service under a pseudonym where she expressed her fear of an attack on the school. She and her father hoped to give Pakistan a voice and speak out for the right to education. The death threats they received only made them call out louder, and she was awarded Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize in 2011, but the Taliban thought she had gone too far and voted to kill her. October 9th, 2012 seem like any other ordinary day, she and her friends were on the bus when a masked man called for Malala. With one bullet her fight for education became worldwide, and protests broke out over Pakistan.  Over 2 million people signed the right to education petition, with that the National Assembly ratified Pakistan's Right To Free and Compulsory Education Bill. Malala went on to become a global education advocate for millions of girls denied education, and on December 10th 2014 she received a Nobel Peace Prize and donated the prize money to create a secondary school for girls in Pakistan. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” - Malala Yousafzai

Malala has taught me that one must stand up for what they believe and make the moral choice when times are hard. She and her father risked everything to make their voices heard, and have shown me that I should not just fight for myself, but for others who are also struggling too. This has inspired me to want to get involved with Girls Inc. Homework Club where young girls go to receive assistance with their school work. The opportunity to help those who can’t get help at home would make me feel like I am making a change in my community and the world. Girls should be confident and have the right to take risks and have pride in their success. Like Malala, who has helped stand up for girls’ educational rights, I too want to support the girls in my community. I want to encourage them to be themselves and strive for success.