Malala and secondary school students in London show solidarity for girls in Afghanistan at a Malala Day event.
Every year Malala spends her birthday, also known as Malala Day around the world, meeting with girls from different countries. She learns about their lives and the challenges they face in getting their education — this year she is dedicating that time to Afghan girls.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban are stealing the future of millions of girls. For nearly three years, they have banned girls from going to secondary school. To raise awareness and bring more young people to the global movement to restore Afghan girls’ right to education, Malala met with Afghan students and their classmates at Harrow High School in London this week.
While girls in Afghanistan are learning in secret, cut off from their classmates and teachers, students at Harrow are finishing up their classes and spending time with their friends and teachers before the summer break. It is a stark contrast that three Afghan students at the school — Somaya, Muska and Sana — wanted to highlight to their classmates.
Somaya, 13, shared with her classmates that she and her family left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. She did not know any English when they arrived in the U.K. and has become a fluent speaker in just two years.
Sana, 17, has extended family in Afghanistan and feels lucky to be able to go to school every day. “We’re very privileged. We’re in the U.K. We can make the decision ourselves to pursue a career or continue our education,” she says. “Girls in Afghanistan don’t have that.”
Muska, 14, left Afghanistan with her family when she was very young and wants to raise awareness about what girls are going through in her home country. At the event, Muska shared with Malala a copy of the book she wrote, “The children of Afghanistan”. Her mother’s life inspired the story about an Afghan girl growing up in a strict family and facing discrimination because of her gender.
Students also heard from two girls in Afghanistan who shared video messages explaining how they were forced to put their dreams of completing their education and becoming doctors on hold. The Taliban stops them from going to school, working and taking part in daily life. The girls are currently continuing their secondary education through an online learning programme provided by Rahela Trust, an organisation supported by Malala Fund.
“Today's progress in the world is largely due to education, and you have already demonstrated the transformative power of a single voice,” said one Afghan girl to the Harrow High students. “So we urge you to continue speaking out and using your influence to empower those of us who are still silenced.”
Malala encouraged students to show support for girls in Afghanistan who cannot enjoy the basic right of going to school by sharing Afghan girls’ stories with their family and friends, supporting Afghan activists who are providing alternative learning programmes for girls and writing to their Members of Parliament to raise the issue in the U.K. government.
Harrow High students also wrote letters that will be sent to Afghan girls, expressing their sadness for them, encouraging them to stay motivated to learn and sharing messages of support.
At the end of the visit, Malala joined the students in painting a mural set up by ArtLords, a grassroots movement of artists and volunteers founded in Kabul. Harrow’s mural, depicting an Afghan girl with a backpack, has a sister mural at a girls’ school in Afghanistan — serving as a visual reminder of and permanent connection to Afghan girls fighting for their right to learn.
