Pakistani teenage rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has donated $50,000 to help rebuild UN schools in Gaza that have been damaged during the recent fighting in the enclave.
“We must all work to ensure Palestinian boys and girls, and all children everywhere, receive a quality education in a safe environment. Because without education, there will never be peace,” Malala said in Stockholm as she received the prestigious World Children’s Prize.
Malala (17) said the money would be channelled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to help rebuild 65 schools in the Palestinian territory.
The money would help children get “quality education” and continue their life, knowing they were not alone and that people were supporting them, she said.
Malala has her own fund to help small—scale organisations in a number of countries, including Pakistan.
The Sweden-based organisers of the children’s prize said millions of children around the world had voted for Malala.
In remarks published on the UNRWA website, Malala said the organisation was performing “heroic work” to serve children in Gaza.
“The needs are overwhelming — more than half of Gaza’s population is under 18 years of age. They want and deserve quality education, hope and real opportunities to build a future,” Malala said.
“This funding will help rebuild the 65 schools damaged during the recent conflict. Innocent Palestinian children have suffered terribly and for too long,” she said.
