Malala Inaugurates School for Syrian Refugee Girls in Bekaa
Malala Yousafzai told world leaders they were failing Syria's children, as the Nobel Peace Prize winner spent her 18th birthday Sunday in Lebanon near the Syrian border.
As she became an adult, the teenager, who was shot by militants in her native Pakistan for campaigning for girls' rights, opened a school for more than 200 Syrian girls living in refugee camps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
The Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School will offer education and skills training to girls aged 14 to 18.
"I am honored to mark my 18th birthday with the brave and inspiring girls of Syria," Yousafzai said in a statement received in London.
"I am here on behalf of the 28 million children who are kept from the classroom because of armed conflict.
"Their courage and dedication to continue their schooling in difficult conditions inspires people around the world and it is our duty to stand by them.
"On this day, I have a message for the leaders of this country, this region and the world: you are failing the Syrian people, especially Syria's children. This is a heartbreaking tragedy -- the world's worst refugee crisis in decades."
Later on Sunday, Malala held talks in Beirut's Msaitbeh with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, in the presence of her father and MP Walid Jumblat's wife Noura, the National News Agency said.
Lebanon is hosting nearly 1.2 million registered Syrian refugees, though the total number in the country may be even higher.
The influx has placed strains on Lebanon, which has just four million citizens.
The Lebanese government has prevented the establishment of official refugee camps, giving rise to informal shanties known as "tented settlements" in rural areas.
Malala was flown to Britain for treatment after the Pakistani Taliban tried to kill her in October 2012, and now lives permanently in Britain with her family.
12 July 2015, 17:26
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The syrian girls dont need schools in Lebanon, they need to return home, just like all refugees in the world. For some reason, I dont trust the work of this girl. People like her are actually assisting the so called world leaders without even knowing it.
13 July 2015, 13:54
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I felt the same too. If Malala was from Iran, he would have been lavishing all forms of praise on her.
12 July 2015, 18:10
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I was thinking the same thing exactly the same thing @cityboy. I hope just because we share the same extreme views people don't think we are the same poster. I really hope not!
12 July 2015, 19:55
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Agreed. 100%. She's a kid and she's being used as an instrument.
12 July 2015, 22:00
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Not your concern what my blood is made off. You should be concerned why the so called world leaders are eager to make syrian refugees permanent residents in Lebanon and else where. Maybe one of you smart folks can try to comment on the subject instead of me.
