( CNN ) On the eve of the one-year mark since nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria , Malala Yousafzai released an `` open letter '' to the girls Monday . `` Like you , I was a target of militants who did not want girls to go to school , '' she writes in the letter . The 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner survived an attack by the Taliban , which had singled her out for blogging from Pakistan about the importance of staying in school . In the letter , she calls on the Nigerian government and the international community to do more to rescue the girls . Nigeria recently held an election . On April 14 , 2014 , Islamists with Boko Haram kidnapped the girls , prompting an international campaign for their safe return , which used the hashtag # BringBackOurGirls . On Monday , UNICEF announced a new campaign for the 800,000 children who have been displaced in northeast Nigeria , using the hashtag # BringBackOurChildhood . Malala is admired globally as a figure standing for peace . On Sunday , a NASA astrophysicist named an asteroid after her . She has spoken with CNN about the Nigerian abductions previously . Malala : Global symbol , but still just a kid . Here is the full letter : . To my brave sisters , the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok , . On this first anniversary of your captivity , I write to you with a message of solidarity , love and hope . My name is Malala . I am a Pakistani girl your age . I am one of the millions of people around the world who keep you and your families foremost in our thoughts and prayers . We can not imagine the full extent of the horrors you have endured . But please know this : We will never forget you . We will always stand with you . Today and every day , we call on the Nigerian authorities and the international community to do more to bring you home . We will not rest until you have been reunited with your families . Like you , I was a target of militants who did not want girls to go to school . Gunmen shot me and two of my friends on a school bus . All three of us survived and are back in school . Now we speak out on behalf of all girls about the right to get a proper education . Our campaign will continue until you and all girls and boys around the world are able to access a free , safe and quality secondary education . Last July , I spent my 17th birthday in Nigeria with some of your parents and five of your classmates who escaped the kidnapping . Your parents are grief-stricken . They love you , and they miss you . My father and I wept and prayed with your parents -- and they touched our hearts . The escapee schoolgirls my father and I met impressed us with their resolve to overcome their challenges and to complete their high school education . My father and I promised your parents and the girls who had escaped that we would do all we could to help them . I met Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and urged him to work harder for your freedom . I also asked President Jonathan to meet your parents and the girls who escaped the kidnapping , which he did a few days later . Still , in my opinion , Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you . They must do much more to help secure your release . I am among many people pressuring them to make sure you are freed . There are reasons for hope and optimism . Nigerian forces are re-gaining territory and protecting more schools . Nigeria 's newly-elected president , Muhammadu Buhari , has vowed to make securing your freedom a top priority and promised his government will not tolerate violence against women and girls . `` You will have the opportunity to receive the education you want and deserve . The Malala Fund and other organizations offered all your classmates who escaped the kidnapping full scholarships to complete their secondary education . Most of the escapee girls accepted this scholarship and are now continuing their studies at a safe boarding school and with the support they need . We hope to someday extend that same scholarship to all 219 of you , when you return home . Remember that one day your tragic ordeal will end , you will be reunited with your families and friends , and you will have the chance to finish the education you courageously sought . I look forward to the day I can hug each one of you , pray with you , and celebrate your freedom with your families . Until then , stay strong , and never lose hope . You are my heroes . Your sister , . Malala .
‘ Yousafzai protects the girls she associates with them . She writes a message of ` ` solidarity , solidarity and peace '' She calls on women and the international community to do more to rescue the girls .