Welcome to the show.
-Thank you. -Thank you so much for being here.
You know, it's-it's weird.
I'll-I'll tell you a little personal story.
You are one of those few human beings
who walks the planet, and is, um, seen
as-as... as a saint.
Like, you're seen as somebody who is better
than the rest of us, because you are, but...
You were late, so I st...
Right, but then, this was really great.
So, we kept Malala waiting
'cause we were running late today, and so...
He's trying to impress me and nice.
-And then... -Say nice things about me then.
-No, no. And then you... -Don't think it's working.
-(laughter) -And then... No, but then, like...
And then you tweeted a picture throwing shade at me.
It was like, she's sitting on the side, holding my book,
and she's like, "Uh, Trevor.
Who is... who is this guy, and why is he late?"
-And I was like... -(laughter)
I... Like, I forget that you are person
who's, like, also having fun in life.
Do you...? Do sometimes people only treat you
like-like a deity?
Does it get a bit weird when you're talking to people?
Um, no. I have really good friends,
-and they're very nice to me, and... yeah. -Right.
So do they treat you completely normally?
-Yeah, very normally. -Oh. They're just like,
-"Malala, I don't care. Close the door." -No.
Like, you know, they way I'm...
-Like, you know, my university life. -Right.
The teachers set the deadlines.
If I miss it, they would be, like, not happy.
I would be terrified to be your teacher in school, because...
-Oh, no. -No. Because you have a Nobel Prize.
And then, like, Malala's in your class.
You're like, "Malala, would you like to teach the class?"
-And she's like, "Yeah, I will." -(laughter)
I wish.
Does-does nobody ever bring that up with you?
-No, no. -No?
Not even my university interview.
-Oh, nice. -Yeah.
You-you don't bring it up, either?
-No, I couldn't ask it. -But you have a Nobel P...
Like, let me tell you something, Malala.
I'm gonna teach you a little bit about swag. Um...
(laughter)
If you have a Nobel Prize,
you should start every sentence with "Nobel Prize,"
even if it's not necessary.
If you're at Starbucks, and they're like,
"What would you like?" you say,
"Well, as a Nobel Prize winner, I'll have the Venti."
Um, I think one of the reasons
people are so drawn to you and your story
is-is not just because of the journey you've been on,
but because of the-the focus you bring
to other peoples' journeys.
And this book, We Are Displaced, is another example of that.
My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World.
Why did you feel the need
to include other stories other than your own?
I mean, you stories are really so amazing, why bring in others?
Yeah, people already know about my story,
and, uh, displacement was part of my life,
uh, in Pakistan, and then also moving to the U.K.
Uh, but I have met girls around the world
who have been displaced, who have lost their homes,
and, uh, often people talk about refugees and immigrants
in numbers and in figures, and we hear about refugees,
but we... we never hear from refugees.
-Right. -And for me, it was so important
that we hear from these girls, hear their stories
and get inspired, and, uh, you know,
they show resilience and bravery and courage,
and I think they have overcome all these difficulties,
so there's a lot for us to learn from them.
It's interesting, because when you... when you see images
from, uh, you know... refugee settlements
or places where people have been displaced by war,
it's often the images that connect with people, as you say.
The numbers don't seem to shake anyone.
But, for instance, from Syria,
we saw the image of that little boy, you know?
Um, do you think that we could do a better job
of putting a face to these people and to these groups?
Do you think there's something we could do to improve
how we see other human beings who are struggling?
I think definitely there are a number of ways
in which we can actually know more about the issue.
Uh, I think firstly is, you know, finding out
and meeting the refugees and immigrants in our own community.
And one of the stories I have shared
is of this amazing young woman
who is reaching out to immigrants in her community,
helping them, you know, going to the grocery shop
or getting their education or applying to university.
So it's actually going out there and doing it yourself,
but also, um, you know, listening to the girls' stories
that are out there-- reading this book
is one... is one opportunity to hear from these girls--
and, uh, I think this is a way for us to hear from them.
Um, and... and I think what is inspiring
is that people are interested in these stories,
and they want to know more, and, uh, I've already seen that,
-so yeah. -When you... when you look
at the story of refugees around the world,
one thing that seems consistent is,
being a refugee's already hard enough--
being a woman or a girl who's a refugee
exponentially increases how difficult that journey is.
It's so much... more precarious,
it's-it's... a really dangerous position to be in
as a young girl.
What do you think some of the biggest misconceptions are
about girls who are refugees or refugees in general
around the world?
I think, uh, the first thing is that becoming a refugee
is never their first choice.
This is the last choice,
and it's often the only choice that they have,
-Right. -is to leave their homes--
for their safety, for their brighter future--
because they have lost many things in their lives.
And, you know, one of the stories that I have mentioned
is of Anna Lisa from Guatemala, who lost her parents.
She became orphan at the age of 15
and had to cross the U.S. border
and go through so many difficulties,
and, you know, the fear
and-and-and... and this i... this sense that you go through
where you feel like you're not safe
and like somebody could kidnap you
or somebody could put you in jail.
Like, all that you have to go through is not an easy thing
when you are only 15 years old, who have lost their parents.
And so it just reminds us
of the courage that these people have,
but also the fact that, you know, we need to look at it
from a more, uh, a human eye, from a human angle,
and understand what would we be in a situation.
Uh, how would we react in such a situation?
What would we personally be
when-when we also face the same kind of conflicts...
-Right. -...or wars or other things
that force us to leave our homes?
You-you recently spoke in Australia,
and you spoke out against their policy
of turning away boats of refugees
that had landed on their shores
or had been... had come close to their shores.
If you were trying to convince somebody
who was anti-immigrant or antirefugee,
have you found anything
that you can say to them that shifts them?
Or-or do you find a way that you can speak to people
to try and help them see the humanity in this plight?
Well, I've been trying it for a while,
and, uh, I think it is difficult to convince people.
But I think, um...
for me, the best way to know about is...
I think oftentimes people do not know enough.
They do not... They have not met a refugee person.
They have not talked to a refugee girl
and what she has gone through.
So I think it's important
for people to actually go and talk to people.
That's the best way to integrate.
And my father often says that, you know, if you want to know
about a Muslim man or a Muslim person,
do not know them through the news,
but rather go and visit your next-door neighbor
who's a Muslim and talk to them.
So I think talking to people is important,
but also go and look for facts and figures
of how immigrants and refugees
have contributed to the global economies
and how-- you know, for instance, take the U.S.--
how refugees and immigrants have built this country
to the level that it is right now.
And also just, uh, look at the human side
-of why people leave their homes. -Right.
And it is not that simple.
It is never their first choice,
and it is often, uh, the difficulties that they face
that push them out of their houses.
And, uh, you know, for me, personally,
uh, when we were leaving Swat Valley, our hometown,
that was because there was... it was not safe to stay there.
Our lives were at risk.
And we did not know where we were going,
we did not know for how long,
but we knew that we could not stay there.
-There was no more choice, uh, but to leave our homes. -Right.
The... One of the reasons to buy this book
is because of the stories
that are truly amazing and well-written.
Another reason is because the proceeds go to an amazing cause,
and that is, um, to your foundation,
which focuses on education.
Why did you specifically choose that?
Why-why is the Malala Fund
specifically going after education,
of all the things that you could have done?
Well, firstly, because I remember the time
when my own education was banned
by this extremist group called the Taliban.
And, uh, and I remember waking up, um...
I think ten years ago. Exactly ten years ago.
It was the month of January, 2009.
And I woke up one morning,
and girls' education was completely banned
and no girl was allowed to go to school.
And I realized that my future was taken away from me.
My dreams were taken away from me.
I was just limited to the house.
I could not go and learn. I could not go and study.
I could not go and become a doctor
or a teacher or an engineer.
And, for many girls, the only way towards empowerment
is learning and is-is getting their education,
doing the job, and then standing on their own two feet.
So, for me, it is-- i-it's--
education is-is crucial for every girl's empowerment.
Uh, but also the fact that if half of the population
of the world does not get education,
if they are not empowered,
then the-the world is losing.
We all are losing.
So, uh, education is crucial for me,
especially the education of women.
Because when we educate women,
this allows us to grow economies.
Educating all girls up to secondary level
would add up to $30 trillion to the world economy.
It helps us to tackle climate change.
It helps us reduce poverty,
fight against early child marriages,
uh, the-the cultural norms and traditions that are out there
that are discriminating women.
It has so many advantages,
and, uh, uh...
and I was one of the victims and I was one of those girls
and I know that it is crucial for all girls to go and learn
and, uh-- and also, you know,
the-the benefits that education brings to-to the world as well.
And refugees' children's education is equally important,
especially the young girls who,
oftentime, in the refugee camps, they are forced to get married.
For instance, in Lebanon, like, 41% of the Syrian refugee girls
get married before the age of 18.
So that's why we started Malala Fund,
and the work is focused on the education of girls,
especially complete education--
not just primary but complete primary and secondary education,
safe and quality education to ensure that, um--
And-and, for that, we invest in local leaders
and in local, uh, educators.
Uh, and-and, for instance, like, in Lebanon,
one of our, uh, activists is-is going out
and talking to the-the girls' parents
and-and the local religious leaders and, uh--
and convincing them to send their daughters to school.
Or one of our activists is using this digital device
that works in the absence of electricity and Internet
to educate girls in refugee camps.
In Brazil, we have activists.
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, we have activists
who are reaching out and-and doing work at the local level.
It's amazing having you on the show.
You continue to inspire us.
You make us realize how trash we are as human beings.
And I appreciate everything you do.
-Thank you so much for being on the show. -Thank you.
-Thank you. -(cheering and applause)
We Are Displaced will be available January 8.
And to learn more about Malala Fund, please visit Malala.org.
Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, everybody.