‘Stingy’ world must raise aid to Syrian refugees: Malala

Published July 14, 2015
Malala Yousafzai speaks with Syrian refugee girls during her visit to Bekaa Valley, east Lebanon. ─ AP
Malala Yousafzai speaks with Syrian refugee girls during her visit to Bekaa Valley, east Lebanon. ─ AP

AZRAQ REFUGEE CAMP (Jordan): Rich countries should spend less on weapons in the Syrian civil war and more on education, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said on Monday, calling world leaders “quite stingy” as she toured a camp for the conflict’s refugees.

Malala was joined in Azraq camp by Mezon al-Melihan, a 17-year-old refugee who has been urging girls to stay in school. Malala and Mezon, an Azraq resident, walked hand-in-hand through the camp, made up of rows of white, prefabricated shelters that’s home to close to 20,000 refugees. The teens spoke to school girls, played on a swing set and kicked around a soccer ball.

Since the 2011 outbreak of Syria’s conflict, more than 4 million Syrians have fled their country, most settling in neighbouring countries such as Jordan. Aid agencies asked for $4.5 billion for 2015 to help refugees, but have been forced to slash support programmes because of large funding gaps.

Studies have indicated that growing numbers of refugee children are working to help support their desperate families. Early marriage among refugee girls also is on the rise. Malala said the world must do more to help the refugees. “There are rich countries in this world, there are world leaders who can afford spending money on weapons, who can afford spending money on the war that is going on in Syria,” she said in a speech at the Azraq community centre. She said these countries and leaders have been “quite stingy” when it comes to spending on education and that shifting resources to schools is “the only way we can achieve success”.

“This is why we are here to ask world leaders to treat the rest of the world’s children as their own children,” she added.

Malala said she had been inspired by education rights campaigners such as Mezon, whom she first met last year in Zaatari, another camp in Jordan.

In December, Mezon attended the Nobel ceremony in Oslo at Malala’s invitation. Syrian refugee children face many challenges, Malala said in an interview.

“Many young girls they get married at a very young age, boys – their parents send them for child labour” because the adults can’t find work, she said.

Malala, who lives with her family in Birmingham in Britain, celebrated her 18th birthday on Sunday while opening a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Asked about her plans for the future, now that she is an adult, Malala said: “I want to get more familiar with British culture and live there for a few years, so I think for a bachelor’s (degree) I should stay at Oxford and for a master’s I should go to another country.”

She said her activism kept her busy and that “I don’t have time to think of anything else.”

Published in Dawn ,July 14th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Read more: Guns vs books: Taking up Malala's challenge

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...