Malala Yousafzai , the Pakistani schoolgirl who survived an attack by the Taliban , on Monday appealed to Boko Haram militants in Nigeria to lay down their weapons and `` stop misusing the name of Islam . '' Malala is visiting Nigeria in support of an estimated 276 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from their school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria on April 14 . Boko Haram , whose name roughly translates as `` Western education is a sin '' in the local Hausa language , is trying to impose Sharia law across Nigeria and especially opposes the education of women . Malala has been an outspoken supporter of girls ' education . In 2012 , her views made her the target of the Pakistan Taliban , which tried to assassinate the then-15-year-old as she traveled home from school . She survived and a year later launched the nonprofit Malala Fund , aimed at empowering girls through education . In 2013 , the United Nations declared Malala 's birthday , July 12 , Malala Day as she addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York . This year she is in Nigeria for Malala Day , which is being celebrated Monday , two days after her 17th birthday . Over the weekend , Malala met some of the schoolgirls who managed to escape Boko Haram and the families of the more than 200 girls still missing . Outrage at the mass abduction inspired the social media campaign # BringBackOurGirls , with Malala among the global faces photographed holding a sign with the hashtag . She met with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in the capital , Abuja . Nigerians and others have accused the government of not acting swiftly or efficiently enough to protect the girls who were abducted from Chibok . But the military has defended its response saying its soldiers have to enforce a state of emergency across Borno state , where Chibok is situated -- an area of more than 90,000 square kilometers ( 34,750 square miles ) . After her meeting with Jonathan , CNN asked Malala if he had said whether any progress had been made in finding the girls . `` As you all know , in politics nothing is clear . In the circumstances nothing is clear really , but the President did make promises , and the President said that he feels that these girls are his daughters , '' Malala said . She added that Jonathan had said he would meet the parents of kidnapped girls and provide support to those who had escaped Boko Haram . Jonathan told Malala that the government `` was definitely doing everything possible to ensure that the girls were rescued alive and safely returned to their parents , '' his office said in a statement . `` Terror is relatively new here and dealing with it has its challenges . The great challenge in rescuing the Chibok girls is the need to ensure that they are rescued alive , '' he said . `` We have had teams from the United States , Britain , France , Israel and other friendly nations working with us here on the rescue effort and they all appreciate the challenges and the need to thread carefully to achieve our purpose . '' Jonathan also thanked Malala for `` your efforts to change the world positively through your powerful advocacy for girl-child education , '' the statement said . Malala later gave a speech to mark Malala Day to an audience that included advocates from the # BringBackOurGirls campaign and some of the schoolgirls who had escaped Boko Haram . Malala said she had told the President : `` You need to fulfill your responsibilities . '' She also issued an appeal to the militants . `` I ask Boko Haram to stop misusing the name of Islam , '' she said . `` Lay down your weapons , release your sisters , release my sisters and release the daughters of this nation . '' A country `` becomes powerful when its people become educated , '' she said . `` Let us not forget that one book , one pen , one child and one teacher can change the world . '' In May , Malala told CNN 's Christiane Amanpour that women were targeted by those who feared a society in which women are empowered . Malala 's activism started after the Taliban banned girls from schools in Pakistan 's Swat Valley in 2009 . She anonymously blogged for the BBC in opposition to that order and became an open advocate for girls ' education . In 2011 , Malala told CNN , `` I have the right of education . I have the right to play . I have the right to sing . I have the right to talk . '' A year later , she was riding the bus home from school when a Taliban gunman climbed aboard and shot her in the head , nearly killing her . Since then , Malala has continued advocating for girls ' education despite ongoing death threats from the Taliban .
Malala Yousafzai is in Nigeria in support of more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram . Malala meets President Goodluck Jonathan in capital , makes Malala Day speech . Over the weekend , Malala met relatives of some of the missing girls and some who escaped . The advocate for girls ' education survived a Taliban assassination attempt in Pakistan in 2012 .