Malala: Schoolgirl Shot By Taliban Speaks Out

The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban makes her first public statement since she was nearly killed. In a video interview, 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who is having reconstructive surgery to replace part of her skull at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, said that she was "getting better, day by day". Speaking clearly but with a slight stiffness in her upper lip, she said: "Today you can see that I am alive. I can speak, I can see you, I can see everyone. "It's just because of the prayers of people. Because all people - men, women, children - all of them have prayed for me. And because of all these prayers God has given me this new life . A second life. And I want to serve. I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated. "For that reason, we have organised the Malala Fund." The teenager drew the world's attention when she was shot by Taliban militants on October 9 on a school bus in northwestern Pakistan. The Islamist group said they targeted her because she promoted girls' education and "Western thinking". Malala was airlifted to Britain from Pakistan in October to receive specialist medical care and protection against further Taliban threats. She is expected to remain in the UK for some time as her father, Ziauddin, has received a diplomatic post based in Birmingham. The video statement was published shortly after Queen Elizabeth Hospital said they had successfully operated to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing. The video was filmed on January 22. The Malala Fund is a girls' education charity set up in late 2012. It launched with a $10m (£6.4m) donation from Pakistan.