Malala to donate $50,000 to Gaza

Published October 29, 2014

JERUSALEM: Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is to donate $50,000 (39,000 euros) to help rebuild United Nations schools in Gaza, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency said Wednesday.

The 17-year-old Pakistani children's rights activist won the World Children's Prize in Stockholm on Tuesday, and said she would donate all of that prize money to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA said in a statement.

“Innocent Palestinian children have suffered terribly and for too long,” UNRWA quoted Malala as saying. “We must all work to ensure Palestinian boys and girls, and all children everywhere, receive a quality education in a safe environment.”

Also read: No pro-Malala resolution in KP Assembly without a pro-Aafia one

Several UNRWA schools were damaged during the 50-day conflict in July and August between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, and nearly 2,200 Palestinians were killed, almost a quarter of them children.

On the Israeli side, 73 people were killed, including one child.

UNRWA's director Pierre Krahenbuhl said he was “deeply touched” by Malala's decision to donate her prize money to the agency.

“Recognition by you, a Nobel laureate... will lift the spirits of a quarter of a million UNRWA students in Gaza and boost the morale of our more than 9,000 teaching staff there,” he said.

Malala, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize earlier in October, alongside India's 60-year-old Kailash Satyarthi for their championing of children's rights.

Earlier this month, Malala also received the US Liberty Medal and pledged her $100,000 award to education in her homeland Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Tough talks
Updated 16 Apr, 2024

Tough talks

The key to unlocking fresh IMF funds lies in convincing the lender that Pakistan is now ready to undertake real reforms.
Caught unawares
Updated 16 Apr, 2024

Caught unawares

The government must prioritise the upgrading of infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.
Going off track
16 Apr, 2024

Going off track

LIKE many other state-owned enterprises in the country, Pakistan Railways is unable to deliver, while haemorrhaging...
Iran’s counterstrike
Updated 15 Apr, 2024

Iran’s counterstrike

Israel, by attacking Iran’s diplomatic facilities and violating Syrian airspace, is largely responsible for this dangerous situation.
Opposition alliance
15 Apr, 2024

Opposition alliance

AFTER the customary Ramazan interlude, political activity has resumed as usual. A ‘grand’ opposition alliance ...
On the margins
15 Apr, 2024

On the margins

IT appears that we are bent upon taking the majoritarian path. Thus, the promise of respect and equality for the...