NEW YORK-A portrait of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot by Taliban militants, sold at an auction in New York for $102,500 on Wednesday.
The oil painting was done by famed British artist Jonathon Yeo, who painted Malala in 2013 after she started attending school in Birmingham, England, where she resides.
The painting was sold at an auction at Christie’s in New York. The money from the sale will go toward funding female education in Nigeria. Malala was 15 when she was shot in 2012 aboard a school bus while going home. She was specifically targeted by the Taliban because of her campaign about the need for girls education in Swat Valley. Yeo said he wanted the portrait to capture the ‘enormous power and wisdom’ of such a young person.
Last week, ahe launched a special fund in response to the crisis in Nigeria, where more than 300 school girls have been abducted by Boko Haram extremists, also known as ‘Nigerian Taliban’.
‘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,’ Malala said when the special fund was set up.
‘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.’