Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu.
It was August 2021. I was in the hospital, recovering from one last surgery to repair the facial paralysis I suffered after the attack. I picked up my phone and saw the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan.
That's Malala Yousafzai. She's one of the most recognized beacons of hope in the world, the youngest Nobel laureate in history, a global advocate for education, the girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban and kept on fighting. But when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, hope collapsed.
The mission she had dedicated her life to, a world where every girl could go to school, took a step backwards.
My foundation had been hope and optimism.
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Chapter 2: What pivotal moment changed Malala's perspective on activism?
But then, in a single day, my belief in progress shattered.
In this powerful talk, Malala shares a side of herself that the world doesn't often see. What it feels like when the person everyone looks to for hope has lost her own. She shares how her theory of social change has evolved, what she's learned that's kept her going even in her darkest moments, and how we can keep building the future we want, even when hope feels lost.
Because the Afghan girls are not giving up on learning, even if it means risking their lives. It is far from the education that they deserve, but it's a start.
Malala's talk is coming up right after a short break.
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And now, our TED Talk of the day.
When I was a child, I thought changing the world was simple. I would tell the people in charge all of my problems, and they would fix them. I know how naive this sounds now, but at nine or 10 years old, it made sense to me. I lived in a remote, mountainous region of Pakistan. The prime minister was more than 100 miles away from me.
In the capital city, he couldn't see the trash polluting our rivers or our broken school bus or hospitals without dated equipment. I was sure that our leaders could solve all of these problems if only I could get their attention. At age 11, I faced the biggest, most devastating problem of my life. The Taliban took control of my town and decreed that girls could no longer go to school.
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Chapter 3: How did the Taliban's takeover impact girls' education in Afghanistan?
I did everything I could to reach to our leaders and ask for their help. Simply, for the crime of speaking out, The Taliban tried to kill me, shooting me in the face at point-blank range. I was 15 years old. But with the help of many doctors and even more prayers, I survived. Millions of people heard my story. Presidents and prime ministers all over the world wanted to meet me.
I was finally in the rooms where decisions were made. and I could bring attention to girls like me who did not have the opportunity to be in school. And that's when I realized that changing the world wasn't as simple as pointing out the problems.
You had to argue for every policy change and budget increase, and you might have to get the support of as many people as possible, and you might have to advocate for months or even years to take one step forward. Eventually, I came to believe that change was slow but steady, incremental but thankfully inevitable.
My foundation had been hope and optimism, faith that people would do the right thing, trust that when leaders said they cared about making our lives better, they meant it, even if it took longer than I wished. But then, in a single day, my belief in progress shattered. It was August 2021.
I was in the hospital, recovering from one last surgery to repair the facial paralysis I suffered after the attack. I picked up my phone and saw the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan. I was stunned, shattered, terrified, angry. How could I continue to have faith that things would improve?
How could anyone believe that leaders were committed to girls' education when they handed over an entire country to the men who pointed a gun at my head and pulled the trigger? From the recovery room, I called Afghan women I knew, activists who were working around the country. They were frightened, too.
On TV, experts and politicians were saying that the Taliban had changed, that this new version of the Taliban wouldn't ban girls from school or oppress women. The Afghans I spoke with didn't believe it. And they were right. Today, in Afghanistan, Girls are not allowed to attend school past sixth grade. It is a crime.
Women, who five years ago were doctors, politicians, engineers and artists, are not allowed to go to university or pursue a career. A woman speaking in public is a crime. But do you know what is not considered a crime? This year, in 2026, the Taliban decreed that it is legal for men to beat their wives and daughters.
The Taliban have imposed a system of segregation and domination, a gender apartheid, on millions of women and girls. For years, I thought the purpose of my life was to serve girls. After Afghanistan, the optimism I had as an 11-year-old activist was gone. But I couldn't walk away. Because I knew exactly what Afghan girls were going through.
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