You don't need to be an adult to be a hero. Kids can be heroes, too. Sometimes, kids are much more powerful than adults.
Malala Yousafzai is a hero. She was a child in Mingora, Pakistan. She loved going to school.
But at the age of 10, the Taliban took control over her town. They set strict Islamic laws. Girls were banned from going to school.
Malala wrote about her experience as a girl in Pakistan and shared them with the world. The Taliban did not like that she spoke out. One day when the schools reopened, she took the bus home. A Taliban member got on the bus and shot her.
Amazingly, Malala survived. She woke up one week later in a hospital in England. She needed lots of surgery. But that didn't stop her work. She continued to work towards education for all girls. It is still her goal now.
Malala has been awarded many awards for her work. She is a Nobel Laureate. She is the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She is a true hero.
Iqbal Masih was a young boy living in Pakistan. He was born in a small village called Muridke.
When he was only four years old, he was put to work at a carpet factory. He was kept as a slave. He and many other kids at the factory did hard labour all day. They suffered lots of abuse and hardship.
Iqbal tried to escape twice. He was caught the first time, but the second time he got away.
Iqbal joined others to help stop child labour around the world. He helped more than three thousand Pakistani children escape to freedom. He travelled around the world to make speeches about child labour.
Iqbal died in 1995, but he is not forgotten. He fought for the freedom of all children in the world. Iqbal Masih was a true hero.
William Kamkwamba is from Malawi. When he was 14, Malawi suffered a severe famine. He could not afford to go to school.
While he was home, he decided to help his family. He found a science book with a picture of a windmill. He studied the picture. He thought that he could make it himself.
He found pieces of scrap and created a makeshift wind turbine. It created energy for his family and his village. He had no instructions. All he used was one picture! William is a real hero.
Sometimes it takes a kid to be brave enough to make a change in the world.