Yousafzai Family Friend Says Nobel Peace Prize Will Help Education In Pakistan

A family friend of Malala Yousafzai has said the family of the teen is ecstatic that their relative has received the Nobel Peace Prize for her dedication to children's education.

Ahmad Shah, a teacher who helped Yousafzai's father run a public school in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, told The Washington Post that he is "speechless" regarding Malala's recent award.

"I am speechless on awarding Malala with the Nobel," said Ahmad Shah, 45, an educator and close aide of her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who ran a public school. "I am happy that now our Swat will be known by Malala's Nobel Peace Prize, and that is more than everything."

Shah went on to say that he thinks the Nobel Peace Prize will help revive children's education in the Swat Valley, where a Taliban presence continues. "Before militancy, Swat was known for its beauty and education," the educator told The Washington Post. "And, thank God, this award will help the revival of education in Swat. This is a huge victory for not only Swat, but Pakistan."

Yousafzai, 17, received the coveted award along with Kailash Satyarthi, a child rights activist from India. In 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head multiple times at the age of 15 for speaking out against the Taliban in articles she wrote for BBC News. She survived the shooting an became an outspoken voice for children's education, especially female youth, in strict Islamic countries like Pakistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.

At age 17, Yousafzai is the youngest ever winner of a Nobel Peace Prize.