About the Resource Guide and Toolkit

On October 9, 2012, an armed Taliban gunman boarded a bus full of young girls on their way home from school in the Swat Valley of Pakistan and demanded to know, “Who is Malala?” Recognizing his target, he fired three bullets into the crowded vehicle, hitting Malala Yousafzai in the face and wounding two other girls.  

Advocating for Education

She recovered and, despite repeated threats on her life, she resumed her advocacy efforts on behalf of the right to an education for girls everywhere.

I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban tells the story of Malala Yousafzai’s childhood, her family, her own passion for learning influenced by her father’s belief in education for girls and her burgeoning activism, all set against the backdrop of a region in the throes of ethnic strife and political upheaval.

Spreading Malala’s Message

To expand the reach of Malala’s memoir and spread Malala’s message to young activists around the world, the Global Women’s Institute (GWI) of the George Washington University, in collaboration with the Malala Fund, developed a resource guide for high school, college and university students in the United States and around the world. Building on the content of Malala’s memoir, the resource guide  will support global efforts to mobilize women and men to address women’s and girls’ rights to an education.

A Basis to Expand Discussion

To develop a resource guide that does justice to Malala’s story, the Global Women’s Institute convened a committee comprised of GW faculty with expertise in a wide range of disciplines including international affairs, media studies, language and literature, religion, history, women’s studies, leadership studies and education.

The views represented in these narratives reflect the individual experiences of the authors as researchers and practitioners. Our desire is that the guide will serve as a launching pad for a broader discussion and expand the discourse on topics of great importance to all of us.

A Toolkit for After-School Clubs

Recognizing the growth and enthusiasm of after-school clubs, the Global Women's Institute has also developed an I Am Malala Toolkit for After-School Clubs. This toolkit follows the same themes as the resource guide, but includes more activity-based material for the purpose of peer-led, after-school club groups. It is also less necessary to have access to Malala's memoir in order to use the toolkit. A full version of the toolkit can be found here.