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Hi there,
During these uncertain times, many of us are searching for ways to stay hopeful. As we get ready to celebrate the International Day of the Girl on October 11, one thing that continues to give me hope is the incredible work of Girls Opportunity Alliance leaders around the world.
Two years ago this week, we launched the Girls Opportunity Alliance at the Obama Foundation to empower adolescent girls around the world through education. In the past two years, our community has supported 26 projects in 15 countries to help remove the barriers that hold girls back.
While there is a lot to focus on right now, we want to be sure we do not forget the millions of girls around the world who need our help. That’s why I am excited to share with you a conversation between Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, and Priya Mondol, a 17-year-old student from a Girls Opportunity Alliance community in Kolkata, India.
In a conversation for Teen Vogue, they discussed the challenges facing adolescent girls around the world as a result of the pandemic and the importance of supporting them so that they can keep learning safely, which is not easy given these barriers.
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Priya is getting the support she needs thanks to Her Future Coalition, an organization we support through the Girls Opportunity Alliance that gives her a safe place to study and the mentorship she needs to pursue her dream to become a wildlife photographer. When Priya graduates from high school, Her Future Coalition will support her with a scholarship to go to college.
Girls around the world need this kind of support more than ever. Early studies predict that millions more girls may never return to school as a result of the pandemic. We can’t let that happen. So as we mark the International Day of the Girl this weekend, let’s all follow Malala and Priya’s examples and do our part to unlock the extraordinary talents and potential of girls around the world. I hope you’ll support organizations that empower girls like Priya through the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund — because a world where all girls are educated would be a better world for all of us.
Tiffany Drake
Executive Director, Girls Opportunity Alliance
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| The future of our world is only as bright as our girls. |
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