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Youngest Nobel laureate Malala in Kenyan refugee camp for her 19th birthday


The youngest Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai chose to celebrate her 19th birthday with a visit to refugees in Kenya’s Daadab camp.

Malala, who is a Pakistani, jetted into the country on Tuesday for the visit and shared a photo of her arrival in Daadab refugee camp on social media.

Her visit comes after the Kenyan government announced plans to repatriate refugees and eventually close down the refugee camp.

PHOTO | COURTESY
PHOTO | COURTESY

Malala’s spokesman, Taylor Royle, told AP that the Nobel laureate had been in contact with a group of girls at the camp via Skype since last year and is looking forward to meeting them and others.

The 19-year-old rose to fame after surviving an attack by a Taliban gunman in 2012. She has been on the forefront to demand for the education of girls.

Malala started off as a blogger on BBC in January 2009, writing about the struggles of life under the  Talibans.

She encountered a lot of death threats from the Taliban due to her activism and on October 9, 2012, a Taliban gunman shot her on the head while on a bus ride after taking exams.

PHOTO | COURTESY
PHOTO | COURTESY

She was treated locally and later flown to the United Kingdom for further treatment where her family has been living since.

She was announced as a co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. She was 17 years old then.