SAN FRANCISCO: Mashal, one of the San Francisco Bay area’s premier south-Asian organizations, held a benefit fundraiser at the Dougherty Valley High School in the City of San Ramon on May 11 to assist a Pakistani girl’s vision to spread education. An inspiring effort called the “Malala Fund” has been incubated by the Vital Voices Global Partnership to help now international educational icon Malala Yousafzai in spreading female literacy in Pakistan and beyond.
According to the Vital Voices website, “The Malala Fund supports education and empowerment of girls in Pakistan and around the world.” The focus is on education for girls, something which a few people may take for granted here but without it chances of success even in America are low.
A brief background of Malala Yousafzai: She is a Pakistani teenager who recently became the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. In October, 2012 at the age of fifteen she was shot in the head by extremists in the town of Mingora located in the picturesque valley of Swat, Pakistan (ironically a place of great beauty where honeymooners once used to go).
Named after a Pashtun female warrior and poetess, Malala took a very public stand for her right to an education and against the extremists in the area who oppose it and blow up girl’s schools, often threatening those who want their daughter’s to get an education in the region. These extremists could not tolerate her defiance and shot her and two others as they were returning home from school.
The bullet went through her head (she is lucky to be alive) and since then she has been treated at various medical facilities, most recently at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. She is currently residing in the United Kingdom still recovering from her injuries and going to school there. On education, she remains as determined as ever in spite of the challenges created for someone who has been shot in the head.
If there is a cause as worthy as Malala’s one could certainly count on the Mashal organization to take it up. The afternoon started off with a children’s parade during which they carried signs showing their solidarity with Malala Yousafzai’s vision and encouraging the generosity of potential donors.
Emcee for the evening Omar Khan opened the formalities by wishing a “Happy Mother’s Day” to the mothers present. May 11was also Election Day in Pakistan and many in attendance including Omar showed their support for the democratic process there.
Ras Siddiqui
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