Education Activist Malala to Urge World Leaders for $1.4 Billion for Child Syrian Refugees' Education

Malala Yousafzai, an eighteen-year-old activist, is known for being shot in the head by Taliban militants for demanding the rights of women to receive an education.

Only a few years later, she received her Nobel Peace Prize and launched her own campaign for girls' education. In a report from The Malala Fund, there are about 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, and other Middle Eastern countries, who are now noted to be out of school.

In line with the numbers, Time reported that the young activist is seeking a total of $1.4 billion to educate not only women, but every child refugee from Syria. Malala said, "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it."

Speaking with Reuters, Malala said that she will make her case to the heads of state and governments, as well as ministers from countries around the world, at a London conference to he held on Thursday. The event is co-hosted by the United Nations and the British, German, Norwegian, and Kuwaiti governments in order to raise funds necessary for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian War -- costing about $7.73 billion for the needs of Syria as well as another $1.2 billion for regional governments for their own plans.

Malala's goal is to get them to agree to raise another $1.4 billion for education, a feat that is challenging on its own, as donor funding has fallen short in previous years.

She also emphasized the importance of time in this decision to help the refugees, saying that world leaders should take action now. Acting alongside her at the London conference will be 17-year-old Muzoon Almellehan, a young Syrian refugee who will be given the task of addressing world leaders.

Echoing Malala's sentiments on education, Muzoon said, "Without education we cannot do anything." While she is currently working on imporving her English speaking skills to complete her schooling in Britain and go to university, she is also pushing to dedicate herself to education for her fellow Syrian refugees.

Malala said about Muzoon, "She is the one that I want people to listen to. Her story is so powerful, it's so inspiring. She's going to tell world leaders that these children have a right to an education and they must not ignore it."

Speaking about the Syrian refugees, Malala said, "We can still help them, we can still protect them. They are not lost yet. They need schools. They need books. They need teachers. This is the way we can protect the future of Syria."