Pakistani activist Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 18th birthday on Sunday in an extraordinary way by opening a school in Lebanon for Syrian refugee girls. Yousafzai told Reuters she told Lebanon because the voice of Syrian refugees needed to be heard.
“We have been doing project all around the world, in Pakistan, in Jordan, and now it was time to do a project in Lebanon because I believe if world leaders are not helping Syrian children refugees, then at least I can do something from my side. And even if it’s just one schools, 200 or 300 girls or children, I can at least save some children’s future. So in Lebanon this is the country where there are many refugees from Syria and I think it’s important to gain the attention of people and world leaders in this area,” she said.
Reuters says the school can host up to 200 girls aged up to between 14 and 18. When asked what advice she would give the students Yousafzai said they don’t need any and they already know how important it is to get an education.