Speaking on camera for the first time since she survived an
assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban last year, the young
activist Malala Yousufzai began with the words, "Today you can see that
I'm alive."
The 15-year-old, who was shot in the head as she left school in the Swat Valley in Pakistan four months ago, promised in the video that she would continue to be an outspoken advocate of the right of "every girl, every child, to be educated."
In the brief statement, Malala attributed her survival to the prayers of her supporters and urged them to contribute to a fund established in her name to further the cause of education for girls.
The English-language statement was recorded before Malala underwent surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, over the weekend to repair damage caused when the bullet passed through her skull. Doctors said that a pair of operations to reconstruct her skull with titanium and implant a device to restore some hearing to her left ear went well, and that Malala should need no further surgery and suffer no lasting brain damage.
On Monday, the hospital released more video of the young patient, speaking to one of her doctors.
"I'm feeling all right, and I'm happy that the operations, both the operations, were successful," she told Dr. Mav Manji, critical care specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Asked about the future, she said, "My mission is the same, to help people, and I will do that."
She also expressed her gratitude to the doctors in Pakistan and Britain who cared for her.
"God gave me a new life," she said, "because of the prayers of people and because of the talent of doctors."
Malala also recorded statements in Urdu and Pashto, two of the main languages spoken in Pakistan.
The video statement was produced for the Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nongovernmental organization based in Washington "that identifies, trains and empowers emerging women leaders," which will administer the new "Malala Fund," in cooperation with the young activist and her family.
The 15-year-old, who was shot in the head as she left school in the Swat Valley in Pakistan four months ago, promised in the video that she would continue to be an outspoken advocate of the right of "every girl, every child, to be educated."
In the brief statement, Malala attributed her survival to the prayers of her supporters and urged them to contribute to a fund established in her name to further the cause of education for girls.
The English-language statement was recorded before Malala underwent surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, over the weekend to repair damage caused when the bullet passed through her skull. Doctors said that a pair of operations to reconstruct her skull with titanium and implant a device to restore some hearing to her left ear went well, and that Malala should need no further surgery and suffer no lasting brain damage.
On Monday, the hospital released more video of the young patient, speaking to one of her doctors.
"I'm feeling all right, and I'm happy that the operations, both the operations, were successful," she told Dr. Mav Manji, critical care specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Asked about the future, she said, "My mission is the same, to help people, and I will do that."
She also expressed her gratitude to the doctors in Pakistan and Britain who cared for her.
"God gave me a new life," she said, "because of the prayers of people and because of the talent of doctors."
Malala also recorded statements in Urdu and Pashto, two of the main languages spoken in Pakistan.
The video statement was produced for the Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nongovernmental organization based in Washington "that identifies, trains and empowers emerging women leaders," which will administer the new "Malala Fund," in cooperation with the young activist and her family.
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