Eighteen-year-old Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai has announced her intention to raise $1.4 billion for the education of Syrian refugee children. She will ask world leaders to contribute to this endeavor at Thursday’s “Supporting Syria and the region” conference in London.
The conference, Time reports, will focus on “[raising] funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian War.” Yousafzai will attend in her capacity as an education activist.
“I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can’t forget them,” she told Reuters. “The thought that they won’t be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking, and I cannot accept it.”
In her interview with Reuters, Yousafzai expressed confidence that it will be possible to give Syrian children the opportunity to learn in safety. “We can still help them. We can still protect them,” she said. “They need schools. They need books. They need teachers. This is the way we can protect the future of Syria.”
Yousafzai will attend the London conference with 17-year-old Muzoon Almellehan, a student and Syrian refugee. In the same Reuters interview, Almellehan emphasized her own dedication to making education accessible to the victims of crisis.
“Without education we cannot do anything,” she declared.
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