Malala delights Melbourne

By Zahra Alexander

(8-year old Zahra Alexander is TIDU’s youngest writer who attended Malala’s lecture in Melbourne on December 11. Here she writes about her experience listening to her role model, Malala Yousafzai, an amazing girl who speaks for the education of girls with no access to schools or education.)

I went to see Malala Yousafzai speak at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Tuesday 11 December. She was amazing! Her voice was so powerful. She was the girl who had been shot but she had survived. She might have changed a bit, her appearance but her heart was still the same, the same kind heart that believed in girls education. She wants 130 million girls who aren’t in school to get an education!

Malala told the audience about when she was born and her parent’s friends felt sorry for them for having a baby girl. When Malala’s mum was only six she sold her text book for a few candies and no one really cared because she was a girl. Instead of a mother helping her daughter with school work for Malala, it was her helping her mother. When Malala’s family moved to the UK after the shooting, Malala’s mum needed a lot of help with her English.

Malala also spoke about all the refugees she meets all over the world. These girls have nothing but hope and belief.

Malala was the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace prize along with many other prizes. She said that the Nobel Peace prize wasn’t so important. It was helping her achieve her goal of the basic right of girls’ education. Malala talked about the difference between her parents. Her dad was kind, caring and positive while her mother was strict. If Malala wore the wrong shoes with the wrong dress or the wrong scarf, she would get angry. When Malala’s room was messy, her mum would get angry.

Malala and her brothers had a passion for cricket, they loved it. Malala always went for the Australian cricket team. Going back to the audience, oh boy it was huge. Every time Malala stopped talking, there was suddenly a thunderstorm of clapping. There were also a lot of mothers and daughters like my mum and I. Malala said to parents, believe in your children and let them have a voice.

Malala made me think how lucky we are to have great teachers and schools here in Australia.

I felt so lucky to see Malala as not many people every day get to see her. She is an amazing role model.

Finally, as Malala said ”˜One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world’.

 

 

 

 

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