Malala Yousafzai:

Malala Yousafzai is the teenage Pakistani education activist who stood up to the Taliban–and survived. Readers can learn about her life growing up in Pakistan's beautiful but troubled Swat Valley and her incredible story of perseverance in the face of violence.

Malala was shot in the head when a Taliban gunmen boarded her school bus and asked for her by name in October 2012, after she had become well known for campaigning for girls' education. She first came to public attention in 2009 when she wrote a blog for the BBC outlining her experience living under Taliban occupation, after the group had blown up more than 100 schools.

Malala has continued to fight against the suppression of women and young people. She spoke before the United Nations in 2013 calling for worldwide access to education, and has won multiple awards for her activism.

At the age of just 17, Malala is the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Her example shows that children and young people too can contribute to improving their own situations.

Click here to find out more about Malala and other leading women with our Leading Women series.