We Love The Way Malala Yousafzai Celebrated Her Birthday

Malala Yousafzai, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon today by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls. What did you do for your 18th birthday? "I decided to be in Lebanon because I believe that the voices of the Syrian refugees need to be heard and they have been ignored for so long," Malala told Reuters in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Yousafzai, the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize (as in, before her 18th birthday) was shot on a school bus in Pakistan 2012 by the Taliban for advocating girls' rights to education. She has become a symbol of defiance and pride for women's education advocates around the globe, and tirelessly campaigns for the rights of girls. The non-profit Malala Fund paid for the school, which is near the Syrian border. It can welcome up to 200 girls from ages 14 to 18. 1.2 million of the 4 million refugees that have fled Syria's war to live in Lebanon, and about 500,000 of them are school age children. Only a fifth of these children are receiving an education, according to the UNCHR. Malala also received a supportive birthday tweet from the First Lady, which is a nice way to round out a pretty special birthday.

You can see the school and watch Malala speak here: