Malala’s Muslim girl autumn

Activist shares new clicks and timely reminders

Autumn is a season associated with many bittersweet emotions, and it seems that it has enveloped Malala Yousufzai in its folds too. The activist took to Instagram to share some seasonal clicks, depicting the orange and gold of fall through its many crumbling leaves and sprouting pumpkins.

In the caption, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate reminisced, “I’ve always felt at home in nature. As a child in Swat Valley, I loved opening my window every morning to see the snow-capped mountains and smell the pine-scented air. In college, I spent many sunrises and sunsets by the banks of Oxford’s River Cherwell.”

Malala further shared, “This week I enjoyed my own Muslim Girl Autumn in New Hampshire, taking long walks through the woods and observing the beauty of the changing seasons. I always pray for a world where every person gets a chance to be in nature, not in wars and violence, but in peace.”

In the beginning of this month, the activist’s organisation Malala Fund announced emergency grants for charities helping children in Gaza. “For nearly a year now, I have been thinking every day about the Palestinian children in Gaza suffering under relentless Israeli bombings,” she wrote.

“They have experienced abject horror and trauma as their homes and schools have been destroyed and their friends and family members killed,” she further emphasised. “I stand with millions of people around the world demanding an immediate and lasting ceasefire. And today, I am directing another $300,000 in emergency funding from the Malala Fund to three charities helping Palestinian children.”

Malala further detailed the purpose of the funding, which was primarily to aid the efforts of humanitarian and social justice organisations. Furthermore, the funds were to be directed at providing necessities such as food, clean water, healthcare to children affected by war.

It was also given to parents in need of “essential services” for the upbringing of their children. This aid was to also support children in their psychological recovery from trauma, as well as lend them educational support. And finally, the funds were to be used in the relocation process, such as helping to build shelter for displaced families.

“Please take a moment to learn more about the critical work of these charities, support them if you can, and continue demanding a ceasefire,” she urged. Malala’s work as a philanthropist has been largely based in the educational uplifting of those who have been deprived of it, specifically girls in Pakistan. As of late, she has extended her services to aid the war-torn population of Gaza, where hundreds of educational institutes have been bombed, as per Al Jazeera.