05 April,2013 03:16 PM IST | | Agencies
Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, who was brought to England after being shot in the head by the Taliban, has revealed the first recipients of her new education charity, with the support of Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.
Student-activistu00a0Malala Yousafzai
Malala, who now attends Edgbaston High School for girls in Birmingham, is donating almost 30,000 pounds to an organisation in Pakistan that supports the education of young girls, a report said.
The grant will be given to an unnamed organisation in Swat Valley in Pakistan to support the education of 40 girls aged five to 12 who would otherwise be forced into domestic labour.
The organisation, which was not named for security reasons, will offer a safe place for the girls to study as well as financial support for their families.
The 15-year-old said it was the happiest moment of her life, in a video played at the Women in the World summit in New York City.
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie
Malala was shot by the Taliban in October last year, while she was returning home from school, for advocating girls' education. She was eventually flown to the United Kingdom for specialized treatment. She underwent a major surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where surgeons tried to repair the damage caused by a bullet that grazed her brain.u00a0
She set up the Malala Fund after surviving the assassination attempt. The fund supports the education and empowerment of girls in Pakistan and around the world and provides grants to civil society organizations and individuals focused on education.
Hollywood actress and UN special envoy Jolie introduced the video and pledged to give 2,00,000 US dollars to the fund. She praised the young girl's courage, saying that Malala's attackers only made her stronger.
The fund is run by a board of trustees, including Malala and her family, with the support of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, founded by Hilary Clinton. u00a0
