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Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan are both Global Youth Ambassadors for A World at School 鈥� and both agree there is nothing more powerful than books and words.

The girls, who survived an armed Taliban assault in Pakistan in 2012, have promised they will do two things to change the world during their time at school in the United Kingdom. They will try to become doctors and they will fight for girls鈥� education.

Kainat and Shazia were both injured in the same bus attack as their close friend but the experience and the aftermath has made them determined to speak up for education, particularly girls鈥� education. The pair are now students at Atlantic College in Wales, where there are 90 nationalities represented, and they recently joined A World at School鈥檚 team for the .

Before joining Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and Gordon Brown on stage at the South Bank Centre, they agreed to become guest editors of the AWAS website and tell our website what they thought was crucial in trying to achieve universal education for all.

Kainat and Shazia with other friends of Malala in Oslo

Shazia said: 鈥淵ou start with one person. If we can change the mindset of that one person, they can change the mindset of another person, maybe even in the same family, then others. Eventually you can change the world but there are so many barriers and issues such as racism.

鈥淎 World at School is so important. We enjoy reading and we love reading about .鈥�

And do they have one or more teachers at their college who they think are inspirational?

鈥淥h yes,鈥� Kainat said: 鈥淐olin Brown and Adrian Rainbow are fantastic teachers. Colin inspires us every day. The school is an amazing place. It is so exciting to learn about other cultures.鈥�

Kainat recently told a newspaper: 鈥淚 really want to become a gynaecologist because in our society there are lots of male doctors but not female doctors and in our religion the women can鈥檛 show their bodies to men.

Kainat and Shazia with their friend Malala

鈥淏ut I also want to join other charity groups, especially focusing on girls鈥� and boys鈥� education. For me, education is like light 鈥� without light you can鈥檛 see anything.鈥�

鈥淚 think, if we speak up, then other people will follow us,鈥� added Shazia. 鈥淭hey will think: Look, they went out of the country but still they鈥檙e getting an education. Still, they鈥檙e going to be doctors. They鈥檙e still doing their job.鈥�

Both Kainat and Shazia have had a whirlwind month. They with Kailash, before they returned to the Swat Valley in Pakistan to see family. They returned to Wales just two weeks ago to restart their studies.

Kainat added: 鈥淪ometimes we miss our home but we have cool friends here and we speak to Malala on the telephone regularly.鈥�