A painted portrait of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, doing her homework fetched $102,500 at an auction on Wednesday in New York.
According to Malala, the proceeds will be donated from her Malala Fund to Nigerian nonprofits that focus on education for women and girls in the wake of the kidnapping of more than 300 schoolgirls in that country.
Last week, the Malala Fund had launched a special fund in response to the crisis in Nigeria with Malala saying:
“I was shocked and saddened when I heard about the abduction of more than 200 girls by terrorists in Nigeria. I am very concerned about these innocent girls, my sisters, whose only crime was going to school and learning.
I believe it is our duty to stand together in solidarity with their parents, families and relatives. We all have a voice and we must speak up and call on the international community and the government of Nigeria to intervene and bring these girls back to their homes safely.
Together we can create a world where no child will be out of school and no student will fear for her or his safety.”The painting was done in 2013 by leading British artist Jonathan Yeo and shows Malala after she started attending a school in Birmingham, England, where she now lives.
Malala, now 16, was shot by a Taliban gunman in 2012 over her outspoken views on education for girls in her home region of northwest Pakistan. After undergoing extensive medical treatment, she now lives in Britain.
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