SAD BUT TRUE

I am going to sound like a broken record but this is something I really feel passionate about. Those that know me personally will tell you how I feel about education. It really hurts me to see a girl or woman in this day in age that refuses to go and further their studies after matric. We are living in a country that affords women the same opportunities as men. This is something that I feel we take for granted. Girls in Afghanistan have to literally fight for their freedom to education and yet there is a 20 year old woman in South Africa that CHOOSES not to study. Why are we as South Africans so lazy? What am I missing here?

There is a 13 year old girl in Afghanistan that is lying in hospital as I am writing this because she was fighting for her education. She bravely stood up to the Taliban, accusing them of taking away a woman's right to choose how she lives. Her outspoken views four years ago made her a target for extremists and she has received constant death threats ever since. She was shot in the head and neck on a school bus by a Taliban marksman on 9 October.

Before she was gunned down, she had spoken out against the Taliban regime from the age of just 11, blogging about their brutality in the region where she lived before Pakistan's government decided to increase its efforts against the extremists.

The next time you decide to complain, think of the girl that is fighting for her life for fighting for what she believes in. observe around you and be thankful for all that you have in this transitory lifetime. We are really fortunate that we have much more than what we need to be content.