A personal message

Dear friends, The Taliban tried to kill me when I fought for girls' education. And now, it's been one month since the Taliban in Afghanistan banned millions of girls from school. The situation is dire and our Afghan sisters need our help. So I'm personally asking you to join me, alongside Afghan women's rights advocates Zarqa Yaftali and Shaharzad Akbar, in calling on leaders to get all Afghan girls back in school. Help us make this one of the biggest calls for girls' education the world has ever seen, and I'll deliver it directly to G20 leaders. Sign with one click and share with everyone: Add your name To the Taliban and leaders around the world, One month ago, the Taliban shut school gates for millions of Afghan girls -- robbing them of not just an education but also their futures. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world that forbids girls' education. Leaders everywhere must take urgent, decisive action to get every Afghan girl back in school. To the Taliban authorities, you assured the world that you would respect the rights of girls and women — but you are denying millions their right to learn. Reverse the de facto ban on girls' education and re-open girls' secondary schools immediately. To the leaders of the G20 nations, discussing the importance of education isn't enough. Use the G20 Leaders' Declaration to call on the Taliban to allow girls to go to school and provide urgent funding to support a coordinated education plan for all Afghan children. To the leaders of Muslim countries, religion does not justify preventing girls from going to school. Make this clear to Taliban leaders by issuing public statements on the Islamic imperative for girls' complete education. The longer a girl stays out of school, the less likely she is to return. Join us in calling on leaders around the world to defend Afghan girls' right to learn and lead. Sincerely, Zarqa Yaftali, Malala Yousafzai, Shaharzad Akbar Add your name With hope, Malala Yousafzai, Zarqa Yaftali, Shaharzad Akbar and the Avaaz team

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