Malala Yousufzai, teen girl shot by Taliban appears in video, renews call for women's education

LONDON A Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban has made her first video statement since she was nearly killed, saying Monday that she is recovering.

Speaking clearly but with a slight stiffness in her upper lip, 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai said that she was "getting better, day by day."

"Today you can see that I am alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone," she said in the video, made available by a public relations firm. "It's just because of the prayers of people. Because all people — men, women, children — all of them have prayed for me. And because of all these prayers God has given me this new life. A second life. And I want to serve. I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated. For that reason, we have organized the Malala Fund."

Malala drew the world's attention when she was shot by Taliban militants on Oct. 9 on a school bus in northwestern Pakistan. The Islamist group said they targeted her because she promoted girls' education and "Western thinking" and criticized the militant group's behavior when it took over the scenic Swat Valley where she lived.

The hospital released even more video of Malala speaking in her hospital bed after the surgery:

The shooting sparked outrage in Pakistan and around the world, and her story has captured global attention for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan. In a sign of her impact, the teen made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012.

Malala was airlifted to Britain from Pakistan in October to receive specialized medical care and protection against further Taliban threats. She is expected to remain in the U.K. for some time as her father, Ziauddin, has received a diplomatic post based in the English city of Birmingham.

Both video statements were published Monday, just hours after Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital said they had successfully operated to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing. But the public relations firm Edelman said the first video, taken by Vital Voices, was shot on Jan. 22.

The Malala Fund is a girls' education charity set up in late 2012. It launched with a $10 million donation from Pakistan.

• Hospital: Malala underwent two successful operations
• Titanium cranioplasty "happy part" of Malala's recovery, expert says
• Malala to have surgery in U.K. to cap skull with titanium plate

[bluejacket2-2009]

Malala might be the next world advocate for peace and equality... She is doing quite well after the evil Taliban tried to kill her... but needs every ounce of effort to recover fully... She also needs 24 hour security...

I see Malala has being a world leader, she is truly precocious for her age and simply a heroine.... perhaps the next Gandhi..

God is protecting you Malala....