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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.
Comments (86) Closed
That's such a nice move. :)
Well done Malala.
Some remedy needed for Ansar Abbasi and Orya Maqbool's depression...
Seems is not interested in earning a lot of money!
A political start to her career
God Bless You!!! You are the pride of Pakistan.
Certainly a good gesture , now ask your Western supporters to arrange a visit to Gaza. It would be a good experience for you to meet Palestinian kids, many have become orphans after relentless aerial bombardment by Israel.
What about us ,the TDP or IDP whatever you call , first help your fellow citizens.
Good deed Malala. May Allah help you in your great mission. We are proud of you
She should have donated this money to IDPs.
@tdp
So if she helps Africans, we say why does she not help the Palestinians. Now that she is helping Palestinians, we complain about her not helping Pakistanis. Nothing this brave girl will do is ever going to make you people happy. Instead of being proud of her, we keep finding faults in everything she does.
Daughter and pride of Pakistan. In your face haters!
Great work!! We are proud of you
Well done malala!!
@Ghani K ....You ever give $2 to poor kids of Gaza or Pakistan? You are a kind of Pakistani who just talk and talk and talk...batoon ke khilariii
Way to go Malala!!!
All those who are questioning her intention should ask yourselves first. How much have you donated to IDP's and how you know for sure if she did or did not already donate to IDP's.
@Faraz I am sure there would be plenty of nationlistic people like yourself who can help out the IDPs financially. Palestinians have no "well off" people to help them rebuild schools. Also, as per the last line of the article, Malala is donating 100,000 for education of Pakistan. Instead of encouraging and supporting others many of us prefer pulling legs and taking shots at people who are doing something good for humanity.
It is good move indeed, but the real questions are from where does she made this money, has she paid tax? where she paid the taxes? who has donated this money to her? what is her stance on Gaza conflict? Can she openly condemn Israel cruelty on philistine? Or this is just a massage over her credibility, there are many people in the world who make money from drugs and then spend money on charities and building mosques and churches, how she differentiate herself from those? is she has courage to express her opinions for Kashmir freedom? All of us have big list of queries where she has to answer now or in future
That is too religious, you should have donated it to more poorer countries.
@tdp - She has already said before that the prize money will be used for education in the area she came from. A cause that she has always promoted. So don't worry, you are not going to get left out.
Bravo little one!
@tdp Do you really think it would utilize fairly, if donated in Pakistan through this government?
@tdp Read the article...she pledged twice as much in Pakistan for education.
If Allama Iqbal had a pic of a girl in mind when he wrote the famous "lab pe ati ha dua" poem, that won't be much different than Malala. The nation can learn a thing or two from her.
Some help for the IDP's, flood effectees, poor children in Pakistan who should be in school, minorities, etc. would have had been more meaningful, if her intentions were genuine.
She's running a scam. The only purpose of this is clearly to build a global reputation, to achieve her grand plan, entering politics eventually, by becoming an accepted global figure.
@tdp Exactly my point
@Sahil if you read the news carefully,the very first paragraph of news says her PRIZE MONEY that she won ,she is going to donate it.As per taxes are concern,every citizen should pay them.But unfortunately people just say and not pay them in OUR COUNTRY PAKISTAN.
please donate to karachi school too
Hat's off to you!!!
This is what we call greatness and gift of god. She being a poor girl has shown that she has no greed for money unlike our politicians. Zardari, Nawaz together with their millionaire looters should learn a lesson from her and donate some looted wealth back to the poor people of Pakistan this way they may be able to save themselves from the wreath of almighty
@Sahil grow up !!!
@Hafeez Imran : I think they will be more depressed after this news :-)
@Faisal If she had donated this money to a non muslim country, all of us would have been cursing her. Peace does not have boundaries. We all live in a world of convenience which in another word is call hypocrites. Well once again she did not deserve it. Foreign propaganda, once again.
@Hatim May be ---- but really???
This puts a lot of our corrupt self-serving leaders to shame.
In your face haters - now they will be saying ooh why didn't she give money to maulana fazlur rehmans madrassa or give money to afia siddiqui appreciation society or....
sometimes I come across such a vile people. who speaks English but they are worse than illiterates..hv no thinking of own..when people says dt malala is western agent..it is such a pathetic thing. I mean..can't people see change in her face after operation. .n who will be a fool to get shoot on face just cz she may get some money from their western bosses. such an awful people. . m an Indian ..n m not fully convinced if she shld hv been given nobel or not...may after some more years wd hv been better when she has a healthier profile .but if she has got award. I fully congratulate her n Pakistan. hope common Pakistan awam get inspired from wat she stands for.
Charity must begin at home. With due respect to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, the hapless and helpless children of Swat and former NWFP need the financial aid more than anybody else. In fact, Miss Yousufzai has become more of a politician than anybody else.
Dont you earn like a million from noblel prize?
Nobel prize money is $1.2 million, this is not even Zakaat of total....who are we fooling
When she got the Nobel --- most of the people here were criticizing her for not talking about Ghazza. Now that she gave her prize money to Ghazza ---- people are criticizing her for not giving it to IDPs . Lol
There's nothing she can do to please these people who were born angry ( at everybody) And true----- she's not doing it to please people anyways. Otherwise she could have kept ATLEAST some money for herself.
IDPs may need help too --- but one can not compare IDPs to people and kids in Ghazza ---- not at all sir--- after what they've been through. So please people -- do not criticize for the sake of it. She's helping and that's all we can say --- only GOD knows her intentions. Who are we to judge.
Can you ask our beloved leaders and millionaire sharifs or Zardaris to spend 100000 $ ( from there own money not governments ) which they can easily afford -- they will never do it. This much money probably is like change to them but it certainly is a lot for Malala. Yet she gives. Or even better ---- people criticizing her ---- can you give ?( even a little much )
Oops. My mistake -- if my comment shows up--- it's 50000 not 100
@Faraz How much did you donate ?
Was there shortage of poor kids in pakistan. Politically motivated clueless act
@Faraz Never happy aren't you anti Malala scynics?
@SG Baloch God help you.
Very smart girl. She actually has similar brain to Nawaz and thinks bravely that who needs her hard earned money. She lives in London and will never come back to the Pakistan.
Malala - a wise man said - charity starts at home. You define what you home is, and then do the charity there - however, from your actions, it seems like you've forgotten Pakistan, and have become an international fame, so helping people internationally rather than at home. Anyways, I would commend you for your charity - wherever you are doing, it is for humans, so it is all good.
Malala has been given 3 million for her book, 1 million for the Nobel, 150 thousand for further prizes this month and millions have poured into her fathers Malala Fund. This leaves her with only 5 or 6 million dollars! For the children of Gaza it is a start. A hundred thousand for the children of Pakistan is a sad and tragic insult.
Give millions away, Malala and make Malalai of Maiwand, your namesake, and all Pashtuns proud of you. And, give Pakistan the greatest gift of all, the return home of their good daughter.
God bless you.
Such a great gesture!
there is great news in your action Malala that the most important thing in life for Pakistanis must be education!!!!!
@Sahil u mean she has to answer to a person like u ... u r a shame in your whole existence!
What about the Yazidis?
@Sahil: I don't know about others, but you sure are worth more pity than any one else.
That will leave the haters speechless.
There goes the honeymoon
some see it as an investment to her political career.
@Faraz ..... Why don't you donate your money to displaced persons?
@Jawad Why can't PTI Imran Khan donate is he the naya pakistan to eat us up all again.. Well awesome sharing by Malala and its her will to share:)
The political leaders of Pakistan should learn that money can be made by good deeds also. It is just a start. In the coming years, we will see real big money coming to her charities, which she will utilize to do good deeds.
I will advise one thing to Malala: don't give any money to Pakistan, particularly thru the government. It will all go to corruption.
how come she's so damn rich man! anyways, nice gesture.
Malala, You have made everyone feel proud of you, may God keep on blessing you. May your wisdom spread far and wide. You are afterall 17 years and you have done what a 71 years old hasn't done yet, feels simply great.
@Ghani K So, how much have YOU donated to the Palestinian cause?
Well done Malala…Children regardless of where they are, deserve their innocence not guns, they deserve books, and freedom of thought. Only then can a society of thinkers be created. With books in Palestinian children’s hands, there is hope for Palestine. I am no pro Palestine, but I am pro innocence, education and a society of thinkers. Way to go Malala…way to go girl.
50000 is just the cost of doing business, she has to keep her fame alive. How much did she make from her book?
She has already donated more than what most of us will donate all our lives. Well Done! Haters gonna hate, Malalas gonna Donate!
If Pakistan has produced a diamond in terms of value - Malala is the right one. Look at her innocence and although still a student - she dared to give away her $100,000 - to Pakistan and $50,000 to Gaza children. She is a symbol of inspiration for generations like Mother Teresa with her Nobel peace prize recently. God Bless you - Malala. The world needs you and the ones like you.
@Saad No--- they'll find some issues anyways to criticize her.
It is her money. Let her decide what to do. You being not in that position can't decide and complain. Recipients can't complain. Also, she is much smarter and politically mature than most of us here - not to make you look bad. She understood the miseries of kids in this world and is doing her bit although she barely passed out of her teens. It is time for us to look at ourselves as to what we did so far for others and also in the least we should now learn to do what she already did for others.
Have you guys ever read or heard NS or SS to donate 50000 $ Zardari to donate 50000 $ IK to donate -- oops --- he did quite a bit already This much money is probably a pocket change for these people but They're busy making their estates------ not in Pakistan --- And here this girl does something good and people are having issues --- then I think --- may be these people deserve leaders like these. Who rob them / abuse them and treat them badly ( people continue to like these leader ) --- because the moment these leaders start doing good deeds , I guess people will start criticizing them. Lol.
That is more money than State of Pakistan has ever given to to the Palestinian. By her generosity she has shamed the entire nation of Pakistan by exposing its hypocrisy.
Is Pakistan better off then Palestine? Is the lack of education, poverty and shortage of food more in Palestine or Pakistan? I can only tell by photos - I have not visited Palestine. The common people in Palestine appears to be better fed, more educated and has more weight then common person in Pakistan. I can bet Pakistani children are facing more education and poverty problems in than Palestine. So why Malaya making this statement? Are you trying to get political mileage or really think that Palestine is worst off than Pakistan
Great deed Malala!!!!
All those who said she didn't raise her voice for Gaza kids because she is American puppet should be off now!
Where from this money has come to a so called simple Afghani girl?????
Respect #LongLiveMalala #VivaLaPalestina
Malala. May Allah bless you with the best.
Though i appreciate her move, but i believe Pakistani kids deserved her attention as much as Gaza kids. Is TTP not at all impacting kids in waziristan? Come on Malala! you should have built a beautiful school in Pakistan and should have drawn attention towards your own country where people want and desire for education as much as in any other part of the world.
Some Pakistani elites especially those who have been talking about TTP our Muslim Brothers and giving them office space and equal status on the negotiating table would not be happy and find something wrong with this great gesture. The easy way for Malala to have fame is donate some money for Dharna on IK's appeal. Help him become PM of Pakistan soon without waiting for elections.
Well done Malala. You are not only the daughter of Pakistan but we regards you as DAUGHTER OF SOUTH ASIA...
very good move to persuade people that she is actually interested in humanitarian services. this just a little stunt to make her more popular in Pakistan. My question is where did she get this money from to donate in the first place..
@SAM this should not be your concern. And please mind your own business
donate here!!!
@Faisal Exactly, why Palestinians. This is western propaganda . She is well meaning no doubt . Have you ever thought who her handlers are. Pakistani are concerned about. The rest of the Muslims in the world. Especially Arab. Pakistanis should worry about themselves first. A nation that can not fix it's own problems should stop worrying about Other. Pakistanis should become a prosperous forward looking nation with a government that can grow the economy , develop resources , eliminate the electricity problems and provide education and health care and provide law and order and justice to it's own people and develop strategic thinking before Pakistanis and Pakistan can be of any help to any one. Until then we are all full of hot air.
Too much limelight at such a young age ....Media has over hyped everything about her !!
Assalamo alaikum humm shahed ek problem thi hamay pakistan jana hi hamaray ristedar hi bohot laken apki pakistane eambishe py jo sir hi who vissa nhye dty plz ap madat karday ........?
@Sahil What rock have you been hiding under all this time? This is the prize money she has been awarded and taxes are often deducted at source if any are levied. She is the pride of Pakistan who has done more for children and education than any of the politicians. She is an education and children's activist not a politician- people who have not done a fraction of her good deeds are jealous of her success and raising foolish questions and conspiracy theories. Well done Malala! Do not let the armchair critics and deluded conspiracy theorists stop you from your noble mission of education for all children.