Malala Yousafzai calls the world's response to Syrian refugees 'pitiful'

In an op-ed for Time, education activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai said the world's response to refugees fleeing Syria "has been pitiful."

"Only 37 percent of the U.N.'s response plan for this year has been funded and more than 63 percent of funding needs are unmet," she added. "Food rations for refugees are being cut because nations will not contribute their fair share to help. Entire refugee camps have only one or two schools for children. If we say we care, we must not just use words, but take action."

The U.N. estimates that at least 11 million Syrians have been displaced due to the raging civil war, with more than 7 million inside Syria and 4 million outside the country. "Syria's refugees have committed no crime that justifies their suffering," Yousafzai wrote. "They are doing what anyone would do if their home were no longer safe." For three months in 2009, Yousafzai and her family had to leave their own home in Pakistan's Swat Valley due to conflict. "I know very well how hard it is to live like that, and how desperate is the desire of parents to find a safe place for their children to call home," she said.

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Although she is "distressed" that more isn't being done to help Syrian refugees, Yousafzai said she is moved by people greeting refugees at train stations, and hopes other governments follow German Chancellor Angela Merkel's lead and allow refugees to settle in their countries and apply for asylum. "I hope that our humanity will guide decisions and allow all of us to stand with the millions of Syrian refugees who need our voice and our help more than ever today," she said. Read Yousafzai's entire op-ed at Time.