Standing with Malala: Leading a call for Education for all

On July 12, 2013, we had front row seats as history was being made. Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani youth advocate who had been shot in the head by the Taliban for daring to speak up for education, stepped onto a podium at the United Nations and declared, “One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.” She also announced the beginning of a movement when she said, “they tried to silence me, but they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices.”

As leaders of the Youth Advocacy Group for the United Nations Global Education First Initiative, we had helped to organize this U.N. Youth Assembly. We watched with pride as this incredible young woman gave voice to a fact and a dream that we both know too well.  We are a living testimony to the power of education.

Born during devastating civil wars both in Sierra Leone and in Burundi, we experienced first hand the painful feelings of shattering hopes and constantly longed for an opportunity to get an education.  As President Nelson Mandela famously put it, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We often look back at the number of our friends who continue to roam the streets of our countries—a lost generation—one that lost out on education because of war. We have both been lucky. With the education that we have received, we are making our modest contributions to changing the world. And we know that education is the biggest bang for the buck.

From the deep ends of poverty in a refugee camp, one of us, Salathiel, has founded and is currently leading a non-profit organization, YouthGlobe, registered in Burundi and Massachusetts with operations in Korea, that works to inspire young Burundians to work together and creates platforms for the Burundian youth to contribute toward sustainable development in their communities.

Having survived the life of a refugee and grown up in a war torn country, the other co-author, Chernor, has emerged as one of the most influential youth voices in global advocacy and decision-making for education. After founding and leading a non-profit organization in Sierra Leone, he now sits on the U.N. High Level Steering Committee and chairs the Youth Advocacy Group, where he actively represents and promotes youth voices in setting and implementing U.N. high-level policies and programs.

We could have never contributed to our communities’ development, let alone global advocacy for education for all, had we not first been granted access to education ourselves. This is why we are very passionate about being part of and leading this growing movement of young people across the world, challenging current policy and decision makers to provide educational opportunities to youth in vulnerable conditions around the world, especially girls. That is why Malala’s story and her words resonated so powerfully with us.

Luckily, it’s a story that is resonating with millions more around the world. Since the U.N. GEFI Youth Advocacy Group was set up last year, we have been mobilizing young people around the world to stand up for education. Over 500 young people from about 90 countries and 100 organizations were in New York to hear Malala speak and adopt the first Youth Resolution in the history of the UN. Millions of young people from over 80 countries contributed to drafting the resolution. There were over 34 simultaneous events in the world with local youth groups speaking up for education.

As we approach 2015, there are still 57 million children out of school. Each one of them is a broken promise. And led by the incredible Malala, we are privileged to be part of the movement saying that cannot be right. Last week witnessed the International Day of the Girl Child. In that spirit, let us all join hands with Malala and make her dream articulated so poignantly become a reality for all. Indeed, “one child, one book, one pen, can change the world.”

Chernor Bah is the Chairman of the U.N. GEFI Youth Advocacy Group and Youth Representative to the U.N. High Level Steering Committee. Salathiel Ntakirutimana ’16 lives in Currier House. He is the founder and CEO of YouthGlobe and a member of the U.N. GEFI Youth Advocacy Group.