NEW YORK – Michelle Obama, the former first lady, is intensifying her efforts to help girls overcome barriers to education in some of the world’s poorest areas.

The Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance pledged on Saturday to raise $2.5 million for grassroots organizations that promote the education of adolescent girls. This support includes paying for educational expenses, fighting against cultural practices like child marriage, assisting survivors of sexual abuse, and offering various other forms of aid.

“These organizations are transforming how girls perceive themselves in their communities and across the globe, cultivating the leaders necessary for a brighter future,” Obama expressed in a video shared on Oct. 11, marking the International Day of the Girl. “When our girls succeed, everyone benefits.”

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, nearly 75% of the 119 million girls not attending school globally are of secondary school age. The Girls Opportunity Alliance, stemming from an Obama administration project that allocated $1 billion towards U.S. government initiatives for girls’ education internationally, was initiated in 2018 to support girls aged 10-19 in completing their education.

The recent announcement arises as international aid organizations caution that budget reductions could reverse recent advancements. UNICEF anticipates that a 24% decrease in education funding from wealthy nations could result in six million girls leaving school by the end of next year.

“The current demand, I believe, is more urgent than ever,” stated Girls Opportunity Alliance Executive Director Tiffany Drake. “In Mauritius, we repeatedly heard that organizations are desperate for funding and support.”

Girls Opportunity Alliance’s early October convening in Mauritius brought together Asian and African members of its network. The great demands on local leaders doing tireless work with little resources made it, in Drake’s view, perhaps the most moving gathering they’ve hosted.

But Jackie Bomboma, the founder of Young Strong Mothers Foundation in Tanzania, said connecting with other powerful women there left her encouraged with the knowledge that she’s not alone. A recipient of GOA’s latest grants, she said the Obama Foundation’s endorsement not only brings financial support, but increased trust from the international community and additional channels to get resources.

Growing up without a mother and having survived teenage pregnancy, Bomboma said Obama’s example has also instilled confidence in her and the girls she serves. Her nonprofit provides psychological services, vocational training, entrepreneurship skills development and sexual health lessons to hundreds of girls at risk of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and school dropout.

“We call ourselves ‘watoto wa Michelle Obama,’ which means ‘the children of Michelle Obama,’” she said. “So, everyone feels so proud to have such a mother who is very strong, who is very powerful and who is very loving.”

The Girls Opportunity Alliance fund is intentionally designed to provide a range of support. Drake said anyone can apply for up to $50,000. The grant does not support general operations but instead goes toward a specific project outlined by the recipient.

Once they’ve joined the network, community leaders have access to monthly training sessions online and in-person gatherings, where they share strategies and learn from larger nongovernmental organizations such as UNICEF and Save the Children.

Girls Opportunity Alliance funds an undisclosed amount and then uses its wide reach to help organizations raise the rest on GoFundMe pages. The campaigns are promoted publicly on its social media accounts and throughout its donor network of celebrities and corporations.

The idea, according to Drake, was to use their “megaphone” to heap additional attention on and garner more support for organizations that often struggle to get by in more remote locations. Girls Opportunity Alliance hopes everyday individuals are inspired to join them.

“We didn’t want to just tell people and say, ‘Google how you can help,’ Drake said. “We wanted to give them a place where they can take action.”

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