First Lady Michelle Obama, Young Women Celebrate International Day of the Girl
Eight young women, participants in the USAID Liberia Advancing Youth Project implemented by EDC, were in Washington, D.C., earlier this month as guests of First Lady Michele Obama. Their visit was part of Let Girls Learn, a United States government initiative to ensure adolescent girls get the education they deserve.
The young women first met with the First Lady in July when she visited the R.S. Caulfield School in Unification Town, Liberia, and led a discussion along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The visit was featured in the White House/CNN documentary film, We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World, which premiered on CNN on October 12.
The young women’s visit to the United States and the release of the film were part of a series of events in celebration of International Day of the Girl on October 11. In proclaiming the day, President Obama called out Let Girls Learn, which includes more than $1 billion in funding for new and ongoing programming in more than 50 countries to help adolescent girls attend and stay in school. According to new data from the UN, 98 million girls of lower secondary and upper secondary school age are out of school.
Since 2011, the USAID Liberia Advancing Youth Project has enrolled more than 22,000 learners of whom 69 percent are women. The project has also conducted training for nearly 2,000 public school teachers and administrators to enhance the delivery of basic education.
The USAID Advancing Youth Program provides increased access to quality alternative basic education, social and leadership development, and livelihood training for out-of-school youth ages 13–35 who have no or marginal literacy and numeracy skills. Since 2011, the project has enrolled more than 22,000 learners, of whom 69 percent are women, while conducting training for nearly 2,000 public school teachers and administrators to enhance the delivery of basic education.
This is a guest blog post from USAID partner, Education Development Center.
