It came as a surprise to many Thais when Miss Thailand Universe Anntonia Porsild mentioned the name of Malala Yousafzai during the top three rounds of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant held in El Salvador recently.
“If you could live one year in another woman’s shoes, who would you choose and why?”
Anntonia responded, “I would choose Malala Yousafzai, because I know the struggles she has had to deal with to get where she is today. She had to fight for women’s education and fight for all women to be able to stand strong and be the change and lead by example. If I could choose anyone, it would be her.”
Malala is a female Pakistani education activist who received the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17, making her the world’s youngest Nobel laureate.
She was born in Mingora, the largest city in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, and is a passionate human rights advocate for the education of women and children.
Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, also an education advocate, ran a learning institute in the city. In 2007, when Malala was 10 years old, the Taliban began to take control of north-western Pakistan. This led to girls being banned from attending school.
Malala believed strongly in her right to an education, so she stood up to the Taliban. She advocated through Pakistan TV and started anonymously blogging on the Urdu language site of the BBC when she was only 11 years old.
At the age of 15, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban while sitting on a bus, suffering a severe injury. She eventually recovered in an intensive care unit in Birmingham, England.
After the incident, and her return to school in Birmingham, there was a global outpouring of support. Alongside her father, she co-founded the Malala Fund, a non-profit organisation which empowers girls to realise their potential and become confident and strong leaders in their own countries.
Her story has inspired people around the world.
By Neeranuch Kunakorn
