Angelina Jolie donates $50,000 to Malala charity

Hollywood star says young activist shot in the head by the Taliban should receive Nobel Peace Prize

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
(Image credit: REX)

Hollywood star says young activist shot in the head by the Taliban should receive Nobel Peace Prize

Angelina Jolie has written a heartfelt article, and donated a large sum of money, in support of Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting a girl's right to education. 

She may be a Hollywood actress and UN Ambassador but Angelina Jolie is also a mum, and so touched she was reading about the tragic shooting of Malala that Jolie felt compelled to discuss the injustice with her kids while getting them ready for school last Wednesday.

In a thoughtful article published by the Daily Beast, Jolie wrote: 'I felt compelled to share Malala’s story with my children. It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only 'crime' was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school.'

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Jolie wrote: 'Still trying to understand, my children asked, 'Why did those men think they needed to kill Malala?' I answered, because an education is a powerful thing.

'The shots fired on Malala struck the heart of the nation, and as the Taliban refuse to back down, so too do the people of Pakistan.'

'As girls across Pakistan stand up to say 'I am Malala,' they do not stand alone,' Jolie stressed.

Adding: 'As the Nobel Committee meets to determine the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, I imagine brave Malala will be given serious consideration.'

Jolie, who has six children between the ages of 11 and four with Brad Pitt, said later that night her eight-year-old (Pax) 'suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, and fittingly create a reading nook near it,' while her six-year-old (Shiloh) wanted to know if Malala had any pets, and if so, who'd care for them.

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The UN ambassador is supporting the cause by donating $50,000 to Tina Brown's Women in the World Foundation through her Education Partnership for Children of Conflict charity.

Malala Yousafza, just 14 years old, was shot in the head last week after being targeted by the Taliban in Pakistan for promoting women's education. Following the appalling attack Malala was flown to the UK for medical care.

She is expected to survive, but will need extensive surgery to repair her skull.

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