NEWCASTLE TYNE (Web Desk) – Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai yesterday welcomed Syrian activist Muzoon Almellehan to her friend’s new home in rainy northern England on Tuesday.
Malala won acclaim for her advocacy of women’s right to education and becoming the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Reuniting at a gleaming public library in the northeast English city of Newcastle, 18-year-old Malala and Muzoon, 17, pledged to campaign together for access to education for Syrian refugee children.
The setting was a far cry from the sprawling lines of tents comprising the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in the Jordanian desert, where the pair first met in early 2014.
Since the two first met, the number of registered Syrian refugees has doubled to almost 4.4 million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR).
More than 250,000 people have been killed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
Appeals for funding from the world’s governments have fallen far short of targets. With only days before the end of the year, the UNHCR’s $4.3 billion appeal for Syria in 2015 has raised just $2.2 billion.
United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) estimates 2.6 million Syrian children are no longer in school.
