Put simply, a lack of education is a driver of extremist ideologies; in a world where there are so many conflict zones, it’s more urgent than ever that foreign aid is allocated for education that gives young people the resilience and critical skills to reject hate and violence. Schools have become targets of war. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack has noted that there has been a series of attacks on schools in at least 21 countries experiencing armed conflict and insecurity since 2013. These are not accidents.

On July 12, Yousafzai turns 18. For her birthday, she’s asking not for presents but for people around the world to share pictures of themselves with their favorite books. The goal: Pressure world leaders to cut military spending and fully fund K–12 education.