Malala Yousafzai is not your typical teen. Unsurprisingly, her 18th birthday was anything but average: the Nobel Peace Prize winner marked the milestone by opening a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School located near the Syrian border will provide an education for more than 200 Syrian girls who live in informal camps and settlements in the Bekaa Valley,after they were forced to flee their home country due to Syria's civil war, she announced on her website.
While Yousafzai said she was "honored" to spend her birthday with the "brave and inspiring girls of Syria," she was also critical of international leaders for turning a blind eye to the needs of refugees.
"On this day, I have a message for the leaders of this country, this region and the world -– you are failing the Syrian people, especially Syria's children," said Yousafzai. "This is a heartbreaking tragedy –- the world's worst refugee crisis in decades."
More than 4 million people have been displaced by the country's bloody civil war, according to the latest figures from UNHCR.
The majority of them have been forced into camps in neighboring countries. Lebanon, to the west, is playing host to 1.1 million people.
Those who manage to escape the insecurity of Syria face a new set of struggles, as there are limited funds to cover the ongoing cost of aid for the surging population. That means limited access to food, healthcare and education.
UNHCR has appealed for $5.5 billion in funding, but as of June only a quarter of the money had been received.
Originally from Pakistan, Yousafzai knows all too well the struggles faced by children in areas of conflict who have limited access to education.
She was shot in the head by members of the Taliban in 2012 for asserting her right to an education, despite their demands that girls be kept out of the classroom. She has since become an activist for equal rights to education.
Yousafzai said on Sunday she was speaking as the voice of children around the world who are unable to attend school due to wars raging in their home countries.
"I am here on behalf of the 28 million children who are kept from the classroom because of armed conflict," said Yousafzai.
Her birthday, now designated "Malala Day" by the United Nations, has been marked annually for the past three years with education-awareness campaigns.
Happy birthday, #Malala! We thank you for being a voice for the millions of girls around the world who deserve an education. #LetGirlsLearn— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) July 12, 2015
On Monday, Malala continued her call for education funding during a tour of Jordan's Azraq refugee camp with a camp resident Mezon al-Melihan, another education activist.
Great to have #malala with her friend Mozoun in #Azraq school today thanks @MalalaFund pic.twitter.com/WLfPcRoSP1— UNICEF Jordan (@UNICEFJordan) July 13, 2015
In honor of Malala Day, the Malala Fund announced also announced a $250,000 grant in support of UNICEF and UNHCR for running the girls' school in the camp.