We all are Perfectly Imperfect by Muniba Mazari

“Don’t die before your death.” Muniba Mazari

“Thank you so much for all the love, for all the warm. Thank you all for accepting me. Thank you very much.

Well, I always start my talk with some disclaimer. And that disclaimer is that I never claimed to be a motivational speaker. Yes, I do speak. But I feel like a storyteller. Because where ever I go I share a story with everyone.

I believe in the power of words. Many people speak before they think. But I know the value of words. Words can make you, break you, they can heal your soul, they can damage you forever. So, I always try to use positive words in my life. Wherever I go, they call it adversity, I call it opportunity. They call it a weakness, I call it strength. They call me to disable, I call myself differently able. They see my disability. They see my disability. I see my ability. There are some incidents that happened in your life. And those incidents are so strong that they change your DNA. Those incidents and accidents are so strong that they break you physically. They deform your body but they transform your soul. Those incidents break you, deform you but they mold you into the best version of you. And the same thing happened to me. And I am going to share what exactly happened to me.

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I was 18 years old when I got married. I belong to a very conservative family, a Baloch family. My father wanted me to get married and all I said was if that makes you happy, I will say ‘YES’. and of course, it was never a happy marriage. Just about after 2 years of getting married, about 9 years ago, I met a car accident. Somehow my husband fell asleep and the car fell into the ditch. He managed to jump out, saved himself. I am happy for him. But I stayed inside the car and I sustain a lot of injuries. My right arm was fractured, whist was fractured, shoulder bone and collarbone was fractured. And because of the rib cage injury, lungs and liver were badly injured. I couldn’t breathe. I lost urine control. That’s why I have to wear the bag where ever I go.

But that injuries changed me and my life completely. As a person, my perception towards living my life was the spine injury. My backbone was completely crushed. And I got paralyzed for the rest of my life.

So this accident took place in a far-flung area of Balochistan where there was no first aid, no hospital, no ambulance. I was in the middle of nowhere. Many people came to rescue. They drag me out of the car. While they were dragging me out I got the complete transaction of my spinal cord.

And now there was this debate going on, should we keep it here, she is going to die, or where should we go. There was no ambulance. The was one four wheeler jeep standing in the corner of the street. They said, put her in the back of the jeep and take her to the hospital which is 3 hours away from this place. And I still remember that bumpy ride. I was all broken. They threw me in the back of the jeep and they rushed me to the hospital. That is where I realized that my half body was paralyzed and half body was fractured. I finally ended up in a hospital where I stayed for two and a half months. I underwent multiple surgeries. Doctors have put a lot of titanium in my arms and there was a lot of titanium on my back to fix my back.

That’s why, In Pakistan, people called me the ‘Iron Lady’ of Pakistan.

Sometimes I wonder how easy it is for me to describe all this all over again. And somebody has rightly said that when you share your story and it doesn’t make you cry, that means you are healing.

Those two and a half months, in the hospital, were droughtful. I will not make a story just to inspire you. I was on the verge of dis-pare. One day the doctor came to me, and he said, well I heard that you want to be an artist, but you ended up being a housewife. I have bad news for you. You won’t be able to paint again because your wrist and arm are so deformed. You won’t be able to hold the pen again. And I stayed quiet. Next day, the doctor came to me and said, your spine injury is so bad you won’t be able to walk again. I took a deep breath. And I said it’s alright. Again, Next day the doctor came and said, because of your spine injury and your fixation that you have in your back, you won’t be able to give birth to a child again. That day, I was devastated. I still remember, I ask my mother, why me, and that is where I started to question my existence. Why am I even alive? What’s the point of living? I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t paint, fine. I cannot be a mother and we have this thing in our head being women that we are incomplete without. Having children, I am going to be an incomplete woman for the rest of my life. What’s the point? People are scared that they think I will get divorced. What is going to happen to me? Why me? Why Am I alive? We all try to chase this tunnel. We all do this. Because we see lights at the end of the tunnel which keeps us going. My dear friends, in my situation, there was a tunnel that I had to roll on but there was no light. And that is where I realized the words have the power to heal the soul. My mother said to me that this two sell-pass. God has a greater plan for you. I don’t know what it is. But he surely has.

And all in that distress and grief, mom’s those words were so magical that they kept me going. I was trying to put my smile on my face all the time hiding the pain. It was so hard to hide the pain which was there. But all I knew was that I will give up, my mother and brother will give up too. I cannot see them crying with me. So what kept me going was one day I asked my brother, I know, I have a deformed hand but I am tired of looking at these white walls in the hospital and wearing this white scraps. I am getting tired of this. I want to add more colors to my life. I want to do something. Bring me some colors, I want to paint. so the very first painting I made was on my deathbed. It was not just an art piece or not just my passion. It was my therapy. What an amazing therapy it was. without saying a single word, I could paint my heart out. I could share my story.

People used to come and say, ‘wow, what a lovely painting’. so much color, nobody sees the grief in it. Only I could. So that’s how I spend my two and a half months in the hospital. Lying, never complaining or whining but painting.

And then I was discharged. And I went back home. and I realized that I have developed a lot of pressure ulcers on my back, on my hipbone. I was unable to sit. There were a lot of infections all over my body, a lot of allergies. So Doctor wanted me to lie down on the bed straight. For not six months, for not 1 year, but for two years I was bedridden confined in that one room looking outside the window listening to the birds chirping and thinking there will be a time when we will be going out with the family and enjoying the nature. That was the time, where I realized how lucky people are but they don’t realize. That is the time where I realized, the day I going to sit, I am going to share this pain to make them realize how blessed they are and they even don’t consider them lucky.

There are always turning points in your life. There was a rebirthday that I celebrated. After two years and two and a half months when I was able to sit in a wheelchair. That was the day where I had the rebirth. I was a completely different person. I still remember the day I sat on the wheelchair first time knowing that I am never going to live this, knowing that I am never going to walk for the rest of my life. I saw myself in the mirror. and I talked to my self. And I still remember what I said. I cannot wait for a miracle to come and make me walk. I cannot sit in the corner of the room crying, cripping and begging mercy because nobody has time.

So, I have to accept my self, the way I am, the sooner the better. So, I applied the lip color for the first time. And I erased it. and I cried and I said what am I doing. A person on a wheelchair should not do this. What will people say? Clean it up. Put it back again. This time I put it to myself. Because I want to feel perfect from within. And that day I decided I am going to a life of myself. I am not going to be that perfect person for someone. I am just going to take this moment and I will make it perfect for myself. And do you know, how we all begin? That day I decided, I am going to fight my fears. We all have fears. Fear of the unknown, fear of known. Fear of losing people. Fear of losing health, money. We want to excel in a career. We want to become famous. We want to get money. We are scared all the time. so I wrote down one by one, all those fears. And I decided I am going to overcome those fears one at a time. You know what was my biggest fear. Divorce. I couldn’t stand this word. I was trying to cling on this person who didn’t want me anymore. But I said no, I have to make it work. But the day I decided that this is nothing but my fear. I liberated myself by setting him free. And I made myself emotionally so strong that the day I got news that he is getting married, I sent him a text and said, ‘I am so happy for you’ and wanna wish you all the best. And he knows that I pray for him today.

My biggest fear number two was I won’t be able to be a mother again and that was quite devastating for me. But then I realize, there are so many children in the world, all they want is the acceptance. So there is no point of crying, just go and adopt one. That’s what I did.

I gave my name to different organizations, different orphanages. I didn’t mention, I am on the wheelchair, dying to have a child. so I told then this is Muniba Mazari and she wants to adopt, boy-girl what so ever. But I want to adopt and I waited patiently. Two years later, I got this call from a very small city in Pakistan. They said, ‘Are you Muniba Mazari’. There is a baby boy. Would you like to adopt? And When I said ‘Yes’, I could literally feel the labor pain. Yes Yes, I am going to adopt him. I am coming to take him home. And when I reached there, the man was sitting there and he was looking at me from head to toe. Don’t judge me, I am in a wheelchair. You know what he said, ‘I know you will be the best mother of this child. You both will be lucky to have each other’. And that day, he was two days old and today he is six.

You will be surprised to know the bigger fear that I had in me. It was facing people. I used to hide from people. When I was in bed for two years and I used to keep the doors closed. I used to pretend that I am not going to meet anyone. Tell them I am sleeping. You know why? Because I couldn’t stand that sympathy that they had for me. They used to treat me like a patient. When I used to smile, look at me and said, ‘You are smiling, are you OK’. I was tired of this question being asked. Are you sick? Well, a lady at the airport asked me, ‘Are you sick’. And I said, well, besides this spinal cord injury, I am fine. I guess. Those were really cute questions. They never used to feel cute when I was on the bed. so I used to hide from people knowing that Oh my god I am not going to see that sympathy on their eyes. It’s all right. Today, I am here speaking to all these amazing people. Because I have overcome the fear.

You know when you ended up being in the wheelchair, what’s the most painful thing? That’s another fear. People on the wheelchair, who are differently able to have their hearts but they never share. I will share that with you. The lack of acceptance. People think that they will not be accepted by the people because we and the world of perfect people are imperfects.

So, I decided instead of starting an INGO, NGO for disabilities awareness which I know will not help anyone, I started to appear more in public. I started to paint. I always wanted to. I have a lot of exhibitions for Pakistan, I have done a lot of modeling campaign, different campaign for brands like tony and guy. I have done some really funny breaking the barriers kinds of modelings. There was this one by the name clown town where I became a clown because I know that clowns have a heart too.

So, when you accept yourself, the way you are, the world recognizes you. It all starts from within. I became the national goodwill ambassador of UN women, Pakistan. And now I speak for the rights of women and children. We talk about inclusion, diversity, gender equality which is a must.

I was featured in BBC 100 women for 2015. One of the Forbes 30 under 30 for 2016.

And it all didn’t happen alone. You all are thriving in your careers. You have bigger dreams and aspirations in life. Always remember one thing, on the road to success there is always ‘We’ not ‘Me’. Do not think that you alone can achieve things. No, there is always another person, who is standing behind you, maybe not coming on the forefront, behind you, supporting you. Never lose that person. Never.

No matter how much I say that I couldn’t find a hero. so I became one. I still want to recognize those three people in my life who literally changed my life completely and I get inspiration from them every single day.

The women who believe in me even when I was completely on the verge of dis-pare where everybody left, she was there. And every time, I looked at her saying. She used to look at me and said, it’s too sell pass. God has a bigger plan. One day you will say that Oh my God, that is why God has chosen me. She never cried in front of me. She always said that there will be haters, there will be naysayers, there will be disbelievers and there will be you to proving them wrong. My mother.

Whatever I am today, I am nothing without her. I am nothing without her. Thank you, mama, I wish you were here. Thank you for making me, who I am today.

You know, what we human being have a problem. We always expect each from lives. We have this amazing fantasy about life. This is how things should work. This is my plan. It should go as per my plan. If that doesn’t happen, we give up. So my dear friends, let me tell you one thing. I never wanted to be in a wheelchair. Never thought of being in a wheelchair. I was always aspiring to do bigger things. and I had no idea, for that, I have to pay the price to be where I am today. It’s a very heavy price. This life is a test and a trial. Tests are trials. I never supposed to be easy and why you are expecting each from lives. And life gives you the lemon. and you made the lemonade. and then do not blame for life for that. Because you were expecting each from a trial. Trial make you a stronger better person. Life is a trial. Every time you realize that.

It is OK to be scared. It is OK to cry. Everything is OK. but giving up is not be an option, should not be an option. They always say that failure is not an option. Failure should be an option. When you fail, you get up and then you fail, then you get up, that keeps you going. That’s how humans are strong. A failure is an option. It should be an option. but giving up is not. Never. We have these things in minds. We call it perfection. We want everything perfect. We want our self to be perfect. Perfect life, Perfect relationships, Perfect career, Perfect amount of money that we need to earn no matter what. Nothing is perfect in this world. We all are perfectly imperfect. And that is perfectly alright. That’s alright! You were sent here not to become perfect people. Those people who tell you how to look perfect even those people are imperfect. Trying to fight this fear of looking imperfect. I used to be perfect. I still remember I got this complements, years ago, when I used to walk. OMG, look at you, you are so fair, you are tall, you are perfect. Look at me now. Only the perfect eyes can see that. Only the perfect eyes will see that. Only the perfect eyes will see that.

So, Yes. And all those imperfections you have to listen to your hearts. You don’t have to look good for people. You don’t have to be perfect just because other people wanted you to be perfect. If your soul is perfect from within. That’s all right! This is all that you want. This is all that you need to be. Our society has made a very weird, very weird kind of norms to look perfect in grade. For a man, it’s different. For a woman, it’s different. We think too much about what people say. We listen to ourselves too little. You know what makes you perfect. When you make someone smile. You know what makes you perfect when you try to do something good for the people around you. You know what makes you perfect. when you feel someone’s pain. And how beautiful pain is that it connects with people. No other medium can connect you other but pain. That’s why I always say I am in pain. That’s a blessing for me.

Today, just because I am in pain and I am on the wheelchair, I work for children. Being the head of CSRF of company we conduct medical camps in far-flung areas of Pakistan where so many kids died because there they don’t have medical facilities. And I personally believe that just because they cannot afford to live doesn’t mean that we will let them die. so we give them money, we give them medical treatment. We try to heal their wounds. Physical and emotional. And I also work for the beautiful people we call them third gender. The transgender community of Pakistan. You know, what connects me with them. All my imperfections. When I go and hug them they never judge me and this very good friend of mine. Her name is Bijli. Bijli means electricity. She called herself electricity. And I said are you electricity. She says ‘no’. I am lighting. I am as strong as lightning. I am thunder. I am lightning.

She came to me and the first time I hugged she said You are just like me. And I said I am like you. Because to people, we are so imperfect. So how beautiful these imperfections are. Because of these imperfections, you can connect to people then why are we all running after being perfect. What’s the point?

Every time I go in public. I smile. And People asked me, ‘Don’t you get tired of smiling all the time’ What’s the secret. I always say one thing. I have stopped worrying about the things that I have lost, people I have lost. Things and people who were meant to be with me are with me. And sometimes somebody’s absence makes you a better person. Cherish their absence. It always a blessing. I always say that people are so lucky that even they don’t realize, you must be thinking. OK. You are lucky in that sense. Well, the breath you just took now was a blessing. Embraces it. There are so many people in the world who are dreaming to live a life that you are living right now. You have no idea. Embraces each and every breath you are taking. Celebrate your life. Live it. Don’t die before your death. We all die.

We live this one routine of the day for 75 years and we call it life. No that’s not life. If you are still thinking about why you have been sent here. If you are still juggling with the concept of why you are here, you haven’t lived yet. You work hard. You make money. You do it for yourself. That’s not life. You go out and seek for people who need your help. You make their lives better. You add colors to their lives, you add values to their lives. You become that sponge which removes all negativity. You can become that person who can emit beautiful positive vibes and when you realize that you have changed someone’s life. And Because of you, this person didn’t give up. That is the day, when you live, Always.

We were talking about gratitude. Why I smile all the time. I cry all night when nobody sees me. Because I am a human and I have to keep the balance. And I smiled all day because I know that if I smile I can make people smile, that keeps me going. Be grateful, what you have. And you will always always always ended up with having more. But if you will cry, if you will crip for the little things that you don’t have or the things you have lost. You will never ever have enough. Sometimes we are too busy thinking about the things that we don’t have. Forget. Cherish the blessings that we have.

I am not saying that I am not healthy that makes me unlucky. But Yes, it is hard. It is hard when I say I can’t walk. It’s hard when I say I have to wear that bag. It hurts. but I have to keep going. Because never giving up is the way to live. Always.

So well, end my talk, on a very short note. Live your life fully. Accept the way you are. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to yourself. I will repeat, Be kind to yourself. and then only we can be kind to others. Love your self. Spread that love. Life will be hard. There will be turmoil, there will be trials. But that will only make you stronger. Never give up. The real happiness does not lie in money or success or fame. I have all this and I have never wanted this. Real happiness lies in gratitude. So be grateful and be alive and live in every moment.

Thank you so much, everyone.”

Muniba Mazari

Nobel Peace Prize by Malala Yousafzai

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” Malala Yousafzai

“Bismillah hir rahman ir rahim. In the name of God, the most merciful, the most beneficent. Your Majesties, Your royal highnesses, distinguished members of the Norweigan Nobel Committee. Dear sisters and brothers, today is a day of great happiness for me. I am humbled that the Nobel Committee has selected me for this precious award.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and love. Thank you for the letters and cards that I still receive from all around the world. Your kind and encouraging words strengthens and inspires me.

I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional love. Thank you to my father for not clipping my wings and for letting me fly. Thank you to my mother for inspiring me to be patient and to always speak the truth – which we strongly believe is the true message of Islam. And also thank you to all my wonderful teachers, who inspired me to believe in myself and be brave.

I am proud, well in fact, I am very proud to be the first Pashtun, the first Pakistani, and the youngest person to receive this award. Along with that, along with that, I am pretty certain that I am also the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers. I want there to be peace everywhere, but my brothers and I are still working on that.

I am also honoured to receive this award together with Kailash Satyarthi, who has been a champion for children’s rights for a long time. Twice as long, in fact, than I have been alive. I am proud that we can work together, we can work together and show the world that an Indian and a Pakistani, they can work together and achieve their goals of children’s rights.

Dear brothers and sisters, I was named after the inspirational Malalai of Maiwand who is the Pashtun Joan of Arc. The word Malala means grief stricken”, sad”, but in order to lend some happiness to it, my grandfather would always call me Malala – The happiest girl in the world” and today I am very happy that we are together fighting for an important cause.

This award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change.

I am here to stand up for their rights, to raise their voice… it is not time to pity them. It is not time to pity them. It is time to take action so it becomes the last time, the last time, so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education.

I have found that people describe me in many different ways. Some people call me the girl who was shot by the Taliban. And some, the girl who fought for her rights. Some people, call me a “Nobel Laureate” now.

However, my brothers still call me that annoying bossy sister. As far as I know, I am just a committed and even stubborn person who wants to see every child getting quality education, who wants to see women having equal rights and who wants peace in every corner of the world.

Education is one of the blessings of life—and one of its necessities. That has been my experience during the 17 years of my life. In my paradise home, Swat, I always loved learning and discovering new things. I remember when my friends and I would decorate our hands with henna on special occasions. And instead of drawing flowers and patterns we would paint our hands with mathematical formulas and equations.

We had a thirst for education, we had a thirst for education because our future was right there in that classroom. We would sit and learn and read together. We loved to wear neat and tidy school uniforms and we would sit there with big dreams in our eyes. We wanted to make our parents proud and prove that we could also excel in our studies and achieve those goals, which some people think only boys can.

But things did not remain the same. When I was in Swat, which was a place of tourism and beauty, suddenly changed into a place of terrorism. I was just ten that more than 400 schools were destroyed. Women were flogged. People were killed. And our beautiful dreams turned into nightmares.

Education went from being a right to being a crime. Girls were stopped from going to school. When my world suddenly changed, my priorities changed too. I had two options. One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up.

We could not just stand by and see those injustices of the terrorists denying our rights, ruthlessly killing people and misusing the name of Islam. We decided to raise our voice and tell them: Have you not learnt, have you not learnt that in the Holy Quran Allah says: if you kill one person it is as if you kill the whole humanity?

Do you not know that Mohammad, peace be upon him, the prophet of mercy, he says, do not harm yourself or others”.

And do you not know that the very first word of the Holy Quran is the word Iqra”, which means read”?

The terrorists tried to stop us and attacked me and my friends who are here today, on our school bus in 2012, but neither their ideas nor their bullets could win.

We survived. And since that day, our voices have grown louder and louder.

I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not.

It is the story of many girls.

Today, I tell their stories too. I have brought with me some of my sisters from Pakistan, from Nigeria and from Syria, who share this story. My brave sisters Shazia and Kainat who were also shot that day on our school bus. But they have not stopped learning. And my brave sister Kainat Soomro who went through severe abuse and extreme violence, even her brother was killed, but she did not succumb.

Also my sisters here, whom I have met during my Malala Fund campaign. My 16-year-old courageous sister, Mezon from Syria, who now lives in Jordan as refugee and goes from tent to tent encouraging girls and boys to learn. And my sister Amina, from the North of Nigeria, where Boko Haram threatens, and stops girls and even kidnaps girls, just for wanting to go to school.

Though I appear as one girl, though I appear as one girl, one person, who is 5 foot 2 inches tall, if you include my high heels. (It means I am 5 foot only) I am not a lone voice, I am not a lone voice, I am many.

I am Malala. But I am also Shazia.

I am Kainat.

I am Kainat Soomro.

I am Mezon.

I am Amina. I am those 66 million girls who are deprived of education. And today I am not raising my voice, it is the voice of those 66 million girls.

Sometimes people like to ask me why should girls go to school, why is it important for them. But I think the more important question is why shouldn’t they, why shouldn’t they have this right to go to school.

Dear sisters and brothers, today, in half of the world, we see rapid progress and development. However, there are many countries where millions still suffer from the very old problems of war, poverty, and injustice.

We still see conflicts in which innocent people lose their lives and children become orphans. We see many people becoming refugees in Syria, Gaza and Iraq. In Afghanistan, we see families being killed in suicide attacks and bomb blasts.

Many children in Africa do not have access to education because of poverty. And as I said, we still see, we still see girls who have no freedom to go to school in the north of Nigeria.

Many children in countries like Pakistan and India, as Kailash Satyarthi mentioned, many children, especially in India and Pakistan are deprived of their right to education because of social taboos, or they have been forced into child marriage or into child labour.

One of my very good school friends, the same age as me, who had always been a bold and confident girl, dreamed of becoming a doctor. But her dream remained a dream. At the age of 12, she was forced to get married. And then soon she had a son, she had a child when she herself was still a child – only 14. I know that she could have been a very good doctor.

But she couldn’t … because she was a girl.

Her story is why I dedicate the Nobel Peace Prize money to the Malala Fund, to help give girls quality education, everywhere, anywhere in the world and to raise their voices. The first place this funding will go to is where my heart is, to build schools in Pakistan—especially in my home of Swat and Shangla.

In my own village, there is still no secondary school for girls. And it is my wish and my commitment, and now my challenge to build one so that my friends and my sisters can go there to school and get quality education and to get this opportunity to fulfil their dreams.

This is where I will begin, but it is not where I will stop. I will continue this fight until I see every child, every child in school.

Dear brothers and sisters, great people, who brought change, like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Aung San Suu Kyi, once stood here on this stage. I hope the steps that Kailash Satyarthi and I have taken so far and will take on this journey will also bring change – lasting change.

My great hope is that this will be the last time, this will be the last time we must fight for education. Let’s solve this once and for all.

We have already taken many steps. Now it is time to take a leap.

It is not time to tell the world leaders to realise how important education is – they already know it – their own children are in good schools. Now it is time to call them to take action for the rest of the world’s children.

We ask the world leaders to unite and make education their top priority.

Fifteen years ago, the world leaders decided on a set of global goals, the Millennium Development Goals. In the years that have followed, we have seen some progress. The number of children out of school has been halved, as Kailash Satyarthi said. However, the world focused only on primary education, and progress did not reach everyone.

In year 2015, representatives from all around the world will meet in the United Nations to set the next set of goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. This will set the world’s ambition for the next generations.

The world can no longer accept, the world can no longer accept that basic education is enough. Why do leaders accept that for children in developing countries, only basic literacy is sufficient, when their own children do homework in Algebra, Mathematics, Science and Physics?

Leaders must seize this opportunity to guarantee a free, quality, primary andsecondary education for every child.

Some will say this is impractical, or too expensive, or too hard. Or maybe even impossible. But it is time the world thinks bigger.

Dear sisters and brothers, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children don’t. Why is it that countries which we call strong” are so powerful in creating wars but are so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it, why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is so hard?

We are living in the modern age and we believe that nothing is impossible. We have reached the moon 45 years ago and maybe will soon land on Mars. Then, in this 21st century, we must be able to give every child quality education.

Dear sisters and brothers, dear fellow children, we must work… not wait. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. We. It is our duty.

Let us become the first generation to decide to be the last , let us become the first generation that decides to be the last that sees empty classrooms, lost childhoods, and wasted potentials.

Let this be the last time that a girl or a boy spends their childhood in a factory.

Let this be the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage.

Let this be the last time that a child loses life in war.

Let this be the last time that we see a child out of school.

Let this end with us.

Let’s begin this ending … together … today … right here, right now. Let’s begin this ending now.

Thank you so much.

Malala Yousafzai

MAJOR SUBWAYS OF EUROPE

NHỮNG ĐƯỜNG TÀU ĐIỆN NGẦM QUAN TRỌNG Ở CHÂU ÂU

1. Public transportation 1 is an intrinsic part of every modem city. Many big cities have an underground rail system as their centerpiece. Three of the biggest and busiest underground rail systems in Europe are in London, Paris, and Moscow. The character of each city imprints its railways.	Phương tiện giao thông công cộng là một phần cơ bản và quan trọng của các thành phố hiện đại. Nhiều thành phố lớn có hệ thống đường sắt ngầm làm điểm nhấn trung tâm. Ba trong số các hệ thống đường sắt ngầm lớn nhất và đông đúc nhất ở Châu Âu nằm ở London, Paris và Moscow. Đặc điểm riêng của từng thành phố ảnh hưởng lớn lên đường sắt của chúng.
2. The first of these subways was London’s Underground, which opened in 1863. By that time, horses and pedestrians had so clogged the streets of London that city government ruled that no railroads could enter the city except underground.	Đường ngầm đầu tiên trong số những đường ngầm kể trên là hệ thống tàu điện ngầm London, được mở ra lần đầu vào năm 1863. Vào thời điểm đó, ngựa và khách bộ hành đi lại tắc nghẽn những con phố London khiến chính phủ thành phố phải đề ra luật không đường xe lửa nào được đi vào trong thành phố trừ các đường tàu ngầm.
The method used for laying the first underground tracks is called “cut and cover," meaning the streets were dug up, the track was laid, a tunnel was built, and then everything was buried.	Phương pháp được sử dụng để dựng lên những thanh ray đầu tiên dưới lòng đất được gọi là “ đào và lấp”, có nghĩa là những con đường cái sẽ được đào xới, những thanh ray được lắp đặt, một đường hầm được xây dựng, và sau đó tất cả mọi thứ được chôn lấp trở lại.
Although the method was disruptive, it worked. Steam engines chugged under London, releasing steam through vents along the city streets. In its initial day of operation, the London Underground carried 30,000 passengers.	Mặc dù phương pháp này gây gián đoạn, nó vẫn có hiệu quả. Động cơ máy hơi nước nổ bình bịch dưới lòng đất London, thải hơi nước thông qua những lỗ thông hơi dọc các con phố. Trong những ngày đầu tiên đi vào hoạt động, hhệ thống đường ngầm London đã chứa chở được 30,000 hành khách.
3. This cut-and-cover method caused massive disruptions in the city and required the destruction of the structures above the tunnel.	Phương pháp đào-và- lấp này gây ra nhiều gián đoạn nghiêm trọng trong thành phố và yêu cầu phải phá hủy nhiều công trình kiến trúc phía trên đường hầm.
A better means of expanding the original Underground was needed, and builders did not have to look far to find it.	Một phương thức tốt hơn để mở rộng đường ngầm ban đầu là cần thiết, và những chủ thầu không cần phải tìm kiếm nó ở đâu xa nữa.
London was also home to the first underwater tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel that had been built under the Thames River in 1825, made possible by the engineer Marc Brunel.	London cũng đồng thời là nơi sinh ra đường hầm dưới nước đầu tiên, một đường hầm bộ được xây dựng dưới con sông Thames đã trở thành hiện thực bởi kĩ sư Marc Brunel vào năm 1825.
He had devised a way of supporting the tunnel while the workers dug, called the Brunel Shield.	Ông đã phát minh ra một cách chống đỡ con đường hầm trong khi các công nhân thực hiện đào hầm, được gọi là lớp chắn Brunei.
Two young engineers improved the Brunei Shield for use in expanding the London Underground.	Hai người kĩ sư trẻ đã cải thiện tấm chắn Brunei để có thể ứng dụng trong việc mở rộng đường ngầm London.
The new Harlow- Greathead Shield carved a circular tube more than seven feet in diameter, which is why the London Underground is called the Tube.	Lớp chắn Harlow-Greathead mới đã tạo nên một đường ống tròn với đường kính dài hơn 7 feet. Đó là lý do vì sao đường ngầm London dược gọi là Đường Ống.
By then, the tunnels could be deeper than the original ones because electric train engines had become available.	Sau đó, các đường hầm đã có thể trở nên sâu hơn so với ban đầu bởi đầu máy xe lửa điện đã được đưa vào sử dụng.
These trains did not have to be close to the surface to release steam.	Những chiếc xe lửa ấy không cần phải đặt gần sát mặt đất để thoát hơi nước.
The shield could be used to dig deeper tunnels without destroying the surface structures above them.	Lớp chắn có thể được sử dụng để đào những đường hầm sâu hơn mà không cần phá hủy những công trình kiến trúc trên bề mặt.
4. Paris started designing an underground rail service to rival London’s.	Thành phố Paris bắt đầu thiết kế dịch vụ đường sắt ngầm để cạnh tranh với London
The first part of its system was not opened until the World’s Fair and Olympics were held in that city in 1900.	Phần đầu tiên của hệ thống này không được khánh thành cho tới Triển lãm Thế giới và Thế vận Hội được tổ chức tại thành phố vào năm 1990.
The Paris Metro is shorter than London’s, but it carries more passengers every day, second in Europe only to Moscow.	Tàu điện ngầm Paris ngắn hơn của London, nhưng nó có thể mang được số lượng hành khách nhiều hơn mỗi ngày.
Whereas London’s Underground is known for its engineering, Paris’s Metro is known for its beauty.	Trong khi hệ thống đường ngầm của London được biết tới bởi công trình xây dựng, thì hệ thống đường ngầm của Paris lại nổi tiếng bởi vẻ đẹp của nó.
The stations and entrances are examples of art nouveau architecture, and they are decorated with mosaics, sculptures, paintings, and innovative doors and walls.	Các nhà ga và lối ra vào là ví dụ của kiến trúc theo lối tân nghệ thuật, và chúng được trang trí với các bức khảm, tác phẩm điêu khắc cùng những cánh cửa, bức tường cải tiến mới mẻ, sáng tạo.
5. The Moscow Metro opened in 1935. It was based on the design of the London Tube, except much of the track is above ground.	Hệ thống tàu điện ngầm Moscow được mở ra lần đầu vào năm 1935. Nó dựa trên thiết kế của Tàu điện ngầm London, trừ việc phần lớn các ray tàu được đặt trên bề mặt.
When Stalin came to power, he used the stations as showcases of Russian art, culture, and engineering. The underground Moscow stations are filled with statuary, painting, and mosaics.	Khi Stalin lên nắm quyền, ông đã sử dụng các nhà ga như biểu tượng của nghệ thuật, văn hóa và kĩ thuật xây dựng Nga. Các nhà ga tàu ngầm của Nga đầy những tượng, bức vẽ và các bức khảm.
6. Underground railways are not only for transportation. During World War II, all three underground systems were used as bomb shelters for the populace.	Hệ thống đường sắt ngầm không chỉ phục vụ trong giao thông vận tải. Trong khoảng thời gian Thế Chiến 2 xảy ra, cả ba hệ thống đường ngầm này đều được sử dụng như những nơi tránh bom cho dân thường.
The Moscow subway was even used as a military headquarters. Stores and malls have sprung up by stations, something that is especially convenient in cold climates.	Đường xe ngầm Moscow thậm chí còn là cơ quan chỉ huy của quân đội. Các cửa hiệu và trung tâm mua sắm xuất mọc lên như nấm sau mưa bên cạnh các nhà ga, và điều này đặc biệt thuận tiện ở những nơi có khí hậu lạnh.
7. All three systems are continuing to expand, providing service to more riders in more distant locales. This is all part of an effort to decrease greenhouse gases emitted from personal vehicles.	Cả ba hệ thống tàu điện ngầm kể trên đều đang tiếp tục được mở rộng, cung cấp dịch vụ cho những người đi xe đạp ở nhiều khu vực xa hơn. Tất cả điều này là một phần nỗ lực để giảm thiểu khí nhà kính thải ra từ phương tiện giao thông cá nhân.

Wheelchair-Accessibility Issues

Các vấn đề về khả năng tiếp cận xe lăn

As many as 650 million people worldwide live with some form of physical disability, and about 100 million of the disabled need a wheelchair at least part of the time.	Có tới 650 triệu người trên thế giới sống với một số dạng khuyết tật về thể chất, và khoảng 100 triệu người khuyết tật cần xe lăn ít nhất một phần thời gian.
Industrialized , higher- income nations in Asia, Europe, and North America are seeing an older population grow more incapacitated as they age, whereas in lower-income countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, poverty, conflict, injuries, and accidents account for most disabilities, many of them in children.	Các nước công nghiệp hóa, có mức thu nhập cao hơn ở châu Á, châu Âu và Bắc Mỹ đang thấy dân số già trở nên bất lực hơn khi họ già đi, trong khi ở các nước có thu nhập thấp hơn ở châu Phi, châu Á, và châu Mỹ La tinh, sự nghèo đói, xung đột, thương tích, và tai nạn giải thích cho hầu hết sự khuyết tật, rất nhiều trong số đó là trẻ em.
wheelchairs provide a more independent lifestyle, but they come with their own set of problems: They are wide, unwieldy, and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces, on slippery surfaces, and on steep slopes — not to mention impassable stair steps.	Những chiếc xe lăn cung cấp một cách sống tự lập hơn, nhưng chính nó cũng mang đến những rắc rối như: Chúng rộng, khó sử dụng, và khó để điều khiển trong những không gian chật, trên những bề mặt trơn trượt, và trên các sườn dốc – chưa đề cập đến việc không thể qua được những bậc thang.
Accessibility issues abound at home, work, and school; in recreation activities; and in transportation.	Các vấn đề trợ năng có rất nhiều ở nhà, công việc, và trường học, trong các trò chơi tiêu khiển; và trong giao thông .
One of the most difficult places to use a wheelchair is the home.	Một trong những nơi khó để sử dụng xe lăn nhất đó chính là nhà.
The average doorway width of about 76 centimeters (30 inches) falls some 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) short of the space necessary to accommodate a wheelchair.	Chiều rộng trung bình của cửa ra vào khoảng 76 xăng-ti-mét (30 inch) ít hơn 5 đến 15 xăng-ti-mét ( 2 đến 6 inch) không gian cần thiết để chứa một chiếc xe lăn.
To be accessible to a person in a wheelchair, bathrooms require grab bars in showers and tubs , built-in shower seats, lower sinks and mirrors, and higher toilet seats.	Để có thể được tiếp cận với một người ngồi trên một chiếc xe lăn, phòng tắm yêu cầu các thanh vịn trong buồng tắm có vòi sen và bồn tắm, chỗ ngồi được gắn cùng bồn tắm vòi sen, bồn rửa và gương thấp hơn, và chỗ ngồi vệ sinh cao hơn.
Kitchens need lower counters and shelves as well as accessible switches for lights, garbage disposals, and exhaust fans.	Nhà bếp cần quầy và kệ thấp hơn cũng như các công tắc đèn có thể tiếp cận được, thùng rác, và quạt thông khí thải.
Also, because most homes have at least a few steps, a wheelchair ramp is a must.	Tương tự, bởi vì đa số mọi nhà có ít nhất một vài bậc thang, một đoạn dốc dành cho xe lăn là điều bắt buộc.
Many countries have laws requiring public buildings — workplaces, stores, restaurants, and entertainment and sports facilities — to be wheelchair accessible.	Rất nhiều các quốc gia có luật yêu cầu các toàn nhà công cộng – nơi làm việc, các cửa hang, nhà hang, và nơi giải trí và các tiện nghi thể thao – có thể sử dụng xe lăn được.
To accommodate wheelchairs, building exteriors need wide sidewalks with curb cuts and ramps.	Để chứa được xe lăn, bên ngoài các tòa nhà cần những lề đường rộng, với những đường nâng lên và dốc xuống.
Automatic doors, including those on elevators , must be broad and remain open long enough for a person in a wheelchair to come and go with ease.	Các cửa tự động, bao gồm cả trong những thang máy, cần phải rộng rãi và mở đủ lâu cho một người trên xe lăn có thể vào và đi một cách dễ dàng.
In a building interior, corridors must be wide enough for a person in a wheel- chair and another person on foot to pass side by side, and carpeting should be firm enough for wheelchairs to roll over easily.	Ở những nội địa, hành lang tòa nhà cần đủ rộng cho một người trên xe lăn và những người đi bộ khác để đi ngang qua nhau được, và thảm phải đủ chắc để xe lăn có thể lăn qua dễ dàng.
Restrooms must be wheelchair accessible, too.	Các phòng vệ sinh cũng phải phù hợp với xe lăn.
Although many countries have made these improvements, many more have yet to follow their example.	Mặc dù rất nhiều quốc gia đã thực hiện những cải tiến này nhưng rất nhiều quốc gia khác vẫn chưa làm theo ví dụ của họ.
With appropriate technology, some wheelchair users can drive cars, although getting in and out of a vehicle while in a wheelchair usually necessitates a portable ramp.	Với công nghệ phù hợp, một vài người sử dụng xe lăn có thể lái xe, mặc dù việc đi vào và ra một phương tiện trong khi sử dụng xe lăn đòi hỏi một bờ dốc có thể mang theo được.
Many cities have subway and bus systems that accommodate wheelchairs, and the list is growing.	Rất nhiều thành phố có hệ thống tàu điện ngầm và xe buýt mà có thể chứa được xe lăn, và danh sách này đang tăng liên tục.
For example, Beijing updated its subway system for the 2008 Olympics, providing disabled riders there access to it for the first time.	Ví dụ, Bắc Kinh hiện đại hóa hệ thống tàu điện ngầm cho Thế vận hội 2008, cung cấp người đi xe khuyết tật ở đây được tiếp cận nó lần đầu tiên.
In most developing countries, a major concern is not so much wheel chair Accessibility as access to a wheelchair.	Ở hầu hết các quốc gia phát triển, một mối bân tâm chủ yếu là không có nhiều khả năng tiếp cận xe lăn cũng như quyền sử dụng xe lăn.
Growing public awareness is contributing to less expensive types of wheelchairs being designed for specific environments — for example, chairs capable of maneuvering across dirt roads and rugged terrain but lightweight and compact so they can fold up to fit in crowded spaces, such as the aisle of a bus.	Việc nâng cao nhân thức của cộng đồng đang góp phần vào những loại xe lăn rẻ tiền hơn được thiết kế cho những môi trường đặc biệt – ví dụ như, những chiếc ghế có khả năng điều khiển được qua những đoạn đường đất và địa hình gồ ghề nhưng nhẹ và nhỏ gọn do đó họ có thể gập lại để vừa với không gian đông đúc, chẳng hạn như lối đi của một chiếc xe buýt.
These wheelchairs also must be affordable and constructed of locally available materials for easy repair.	Những chiếc xe lăn này cũng cần phải có giá cả phải chăng và được dựng nên bởi những vật liệu địa phương có sẵn để dễ dàng sửa chữa.
The number of people needing a wheelchair is expected to increase by 22 percent over the next decade, with most of the increase coming in developing countries, where fewer than 1 percent of those in need now have access to one.	Số lượng người cần một chiếc xe lăn được dự đoán sẽ tăng 22 phần trăm vào thập kỉ tiếp theo, với hầu hết sự gia tăng tại các quốc gia phát triển, nơi có ít hơn 1 phần trăm những người tại thời điểm này được tiếp cận với nó.