Support Malala Yousafzai

The following is a letter from Soroptimist International President Alice Wells to all Soroptimists.  I am publishing it in its entirety:

I’m sure you have all heard about Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl who was recently shot in the head for her advocacy work for girls’ access to education.

An excerpt from her diary, 5 January 2009

"I was getting ready for school and about to wear my uniform when I remembered that our principal had told us not to wear uniforms and come to school wearing normal clothes instead. So I decided to wear my favourite pink dress. Other girls in school were also wearing colourful dresses. During the morning assembly we were told not to wear colourful clothes as the Taliban would object to it."

According to the information received, Ms. Malala Yousafzai was reportedly shot by three unidentified gunmen from the Taliban, in the bus taking children home from school after a mid-term exam. The incident occurred in the city of Mingora situated in the Swat valley, North West Pakistan, as the bus was coming from Khushal Public School. Ms Yousafzai was shot in the head and a second shot injured her in the neck area. (source: The Observatory, FIDH, OMCT 11/10/2012)

Malala started campaigning for girls’ education when she was just 11, blogging for the BBC Urdu. After a period of exile, she returned to her home. During 2009, Malala began to appear on television and publically advocate female education. She has become a heroine for girls all around the world, winning the National Peace Award in Pakistan -subsequently renamed the National Malala Peace Prize - for those under 18 years old. In 2011 she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by The KidsRights Foundation.

"Malala was the lone voice in that wilderness," writes Feryal Gauhar in the local Express Tribune. "Hers was the voice which made us consider that indeed, there can be alternatives, and there can be resistance to all forms of tyranny. Today, the attempt to silence that voice shall only make her stronger; the blood stains on her school uniform shall only feed the conviction that as long as there is breath and life, there shall be struggle. Malala rose to heights few of us can aspire to," adds Gauhar. (source: BBC)

Malala was transferred to a hospital in the UK where she is making good progress, though the Taliban spokespersons have said that she will not be spared should she recover.

I am humbled by this young woman, with the courage and grace to speak out for what she believes, for a better future for herself, her peers, and her country, for something that so many of us take for granted.  For education.

I ask you to pause for just a moment to take action to support Malala in the hope that her courageous acts will not be in vain, but will transform lives for girls who must fight for their basic human right to education.

1. Write a letter. Our partners at AWID are supporting this action from the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT). Click HERE to see a template letter and find addresses.

2. Sign a petition. Avaaz.org is hosting an international petition to deliver to Pakistan’s President Zardari. Click HERE to add your voice and to share on social media.

3. Join a campaign. The Office of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education has launched a campaign to support Malala. Click HERE to join and learn more.

Alice Wells, International President 2011-2013

Running for Hope

Soroptimist International of Cody held their 4th Annual Run for Hope on Saturday, October 6.  The race raises money for the Lainey Cole Memorial Women’s Cancer Fund, named for a Cody Soroptimist who lost her battle with cancer five years ago.  The fund provides assistance to women undergoing cancer treatment.

I’ve wanted to run this race since the first year, four years ago.  I knew Lainey Cole.  I bonded with her when we sang “I Hope You Dance” together at the 2006 Rocky Mountain Region Conference held in Salt Lake City.  It was karaoke night, and when she heard the music start, she told me it was her favorite song.  So I pulled her up on the stage to sing it with me.  The words, so meaningful, were truly heartfelt as they came from her lips.  I still get teary-eyed when I hear it. 

This year was the first I’d had the time to drive the 456 miles to Cody to run the race.   We arrived in Cody at the same time a huge cold front from the north drove temperatures down into the mid-30s.  We woke on the morning of the race to sunny skies and 25 degrees.  Brrrrrrhhh!  Traded the shorts for sweats – I guess I need to break down and buy those cool running pants that the serious runners wear.  By race time it had warmed up into the 30s.  I was given the honor of singing the National Anthem at the starting gate (check another one off the bucket list), and then off we ran. 

While it’s true that as runners we primarily compete with ourselves, there’s something to be said about hearing your name called out to come to the podium to receive your ribbon.  I was pretty excited when they called my name as first place in my age division.  My first 10K and my first win! 

The real winners of the Run for Hope are the Soroptimists of Cody.  At last count they had raised over $11,000 for the Lainey Cole Memorial Women’s Cancer Fund.  Running this race meant a lot to me.  I am honored to have been able to play my small part in such a worthy cause.

International Day of the Girl Child

On 11 October, the world will celebrate the first International Day of the Girl Child. It’s a day to promote girls’ empowerment and address the challenges that girls worldwide face. Girls everywhere are coming together and taking action for the first International Girls Day. Join and support them!

A girl is a powerful agent of change for a better and equal world, but her potential is constantly undermined by violence and discrimination. At UN Women, we believe in investing in girls, and we are joining other UN agencies to focus on child marriage on the International Day of the Girl Child. 

 Child marriage is a fundamental human rights violation and impacts all aspects of a girl’s life. It denies a girl of her childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases her risk of violence and compromises her health. Globally, more than one in three young women aged 20-24 years were first married before they reached age 18.

Join us to raise awareness about the issue. Check out stories, interviews and what the United Nations is saying about the issue at saynotoviolence.org on 11 October. Watch and share UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet’s message for the day at youtube.com/saynotoviolence.

The world we want for girls is a world free of violence and discrimination against girls.