October 10th, 2014, Malala Yousafzai, a pro bono client of Rob Ughetta’s firm Cadwalader was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17. She is the youngest recipient of this prestigious recognition. She was chosen because of her courageous advocacy of girls’ rights to education. Cadwalader also helped her create The Malala Fund, which looks to empower girls all over the world through education.
Malala began speaking out for women’s rights at ages 11, writing for BBC to create awareness of life under Taliban occupation. She created a blog under the pseudonym Gul Makai, referencing a heroine in a local folklore. At age 15, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman and hospitalized for her injuries. While in the hospital Malala met with Cadwalader to help her create the Malala Fund at Vital Voice. The Malala Fund creates awareness to gender inequality around the world and is Malala’s vision to speak out about girl’s issues in the global community, advocate for higher quality education for women, and to invest in community centers that provide quality educations. Malala Fund has helped communities in Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan and Kenya to create a better learning environments for not only girls but all children in the areas.
