“I’m speaking with Malala in New York City”

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In April, I met Malala when she visited Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the first stop on her Girl Power Trip. I’ve followed along her journey as she met with girls around the world — Maryam and Nivaal in Canada, Zuhdya from Kurdistan, Najlaa from Iraq, Amina from Nigeria, Sydney from Mexico and María from Colombia.

This week, I am overjoyed to be joining Malala on the final stop of her Girl Power Trip: New York City. Here, Najlaa, Malala and I will be advocating for girls’ education at the United Nations.

When Malala came to Lancaster, I told her my story. I grew up in the Congo, but the conflict there became so violent that my family fled as refugees to Zambia.* *One night, armed rebels broke into our house. We watched as our mother was killed, sacrificing herself to protect me and my siblings.

Conflict changed my life forever, but it didn’t stop me from moving forward. I became the first person in my family to graduate from high school and am now in university studying to become a nurse.

Today, I will tell my story again — this time at the UN in front of leaders from powerful countries around the world.

I will tell them that every girl deserves access to a safe, quality education. It’s time they invest in girls because we are the leaders of tomorrow. I hope they will listen.