Angelina Jolie paid tribute to a young Pakistani activist at the Women in the World Summit on Thursday (04Apr13) and donated $200,000 to the teenager's fledgling education fund.

Malala Yousafzai, 15, was shot in the head by Taliban operatives last October (12) because of her outspoken advocacy for girls' education, but survived after she was flown to the U.K. for life-saving treatment.

The actress took to the stage at the Lincoln Center in New York City on Thursday to honour Yousafzai at a special Women in the World event, and Jolie praised her ongoing efforts to help others.

She said, "In a brutal attempt to silence her voice it grew louder, and she (became) more resolute, calling on the entire world, not just Pakistan, to ensure the right for every girl and boy to an education... she is powerful, but she is also a sweet creative, loving little girl who wants to help others, to work for others... her goal is progress, not notoriety... there is a lot we can learn from this little girl."

After the Salt star exited the stage, Women in the World Summit founder Tina Brown announced the actress had recently made a personal donation of $200,000 to the Malala Fund.

Jolie previously handed $50,000 to executives of the Women in the World Summit who, in conjunction with charity Vital Voices, set up the Mala Fund in Yousafzai's name to help provide education for girls, initially in the youngster's home country of Pakistan.

Yousafzai spoke at the conference via a video link and announced that she would initially use the fund to help educate 40 girls in her hometown.