By Michelle Obama
When I was growing up, my parents made it very clear: I could do anything my brother could do, from playing sports to going to college. That was one of the greatest gifts my family gave to me—a belief that, as a girl, my voice and my talents mattered.
I want every girl on this planet to have the same opportunities that I’ve had to pursue their education and their dreams. But right now, more than 98 million adolescent girls around the world are not in school. That’s why the Obama Foundation started the Girls Opportunity Alliance, a program dedicated to empowering adolescent girls through education and supporting the grassroots leaders who remove the many barriers that girls still face.
Recently, Liza Koshy, Prajakta Koli, and Thembe Mahlaba visited Girls Opportunity Alliance projects around the world to see this important work in action. From the Study Hall Educational Foundation in India to Physically Active Youth in Namibia and Room to Read in Vietnam, these programs are transforming girls’ lives and creating a powerful ripple effect across communities. I hope you’ll tune in to watch their stories on YouTube Originals on March 17.
I hope you are as moved as I am by these stories, and I hope you’ll take action to support adolescent girls’ education around the world through the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund. Your support creates a ripple effect all its own—because when girls get the opportunities they deserve, our whole world benefits.
That’s something we can celebrate on International Women’s Day—and all year long.
Michelle
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