Girls Opportunity Alliance stories

Learn more about how the Girls Opportunity Alliance is working to empower and educate girls around the world.

Watch Addison's story

Meet Addison, a student from the South Side of Chicago who receives mentorship and support from a Chicago-based nonprofit organization supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

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A Black woman wearing a blue sweatshirt and floral leggings holds a yoga pose. She is encircled by a group of adolescent Black girls wearing matching maroon shirts and holding the same pose. They are a range of light to dark skin tones.
  • Youth
  • Watch
Girls Opportunity Alliance provides more than $1 million in support on International Day of the Girl

Learn how the Alliance is joining forces with 26 organizations serving adolescent girls in Chicago and around the world

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Indigenous girls of the Sacred Valley Project work on school activities together at a long table covered in books, worksheets, colorful markers, and other school supplies.
  • Watch
  • Global Reach
Meet the Girls of Sacred Valley Project

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports secondary education for girls in rural Peru.

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Brenda, a young Tanzanian girl with a dark skin tone, raises her hand among her classmates. The group is outside and Brenda wears a school uniform with a white collared shirt, striped tie, and sweater. They are all a range of medium to dark skin tones.
  • Watch
  • Africa
Brenda’s story

Learn how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports community-driven solutions that advance equality and climate justice in Tanzania.

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Betty, a young woman with a dark skin tone, turns around and poses for the photo while walking down a dirt path. She is wearing a striped yellow shirt, a black backpack, and has dyed pink hair.
  • Watch
  • Global Reach
Betty’s story

See how the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports STEM education for Kenyan girls with disabilities.

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Mrs. Obama hugs a student in a classroom from Malawi as part of her visit to the AGE Africa program. She is wearing a long dress and is standing in a classroom with green walls and chairs that is filled with students. The other girls sit in a circle in their uniforms as they smile and engage with each other.
  • Programs
  • Watch
Mrs. Obama reconnects with girls from AGE Africa

Last fall, Mrs. Obama spent time with an inspiring group of young women in Malawi who are part of the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

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A group of three smiling girls with a range of light to medium skin tones run together on an outdoor court.
  • Chicago
  • Watch
Girls Opportunity Alliance helps girls' sports and leadership program expand to Chicago’s South Side

See how Girls in the Game is empowering girls through sports programming to develop their health, leadership, and life skills.

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Elpida Kokkota, a woman with a light skin tone, holds a closed lip smile. She has long black hair and is wearing red lipstick, bracelets on both arms, a white shirt, and floral skirt.
  • Leaders
  • Changemakers
Obama Leaders join forces across continents to create global opportunities for women

More than 140,000 women across 155 countries have educational and entrepreneurial opportunities, thanks to the 2023 Obama Leaders.

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A group of Black women and girls pose with a van wrapped with M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment branding and images of adolescent Black girls. The group is holding a copy of Governor Prizker’s state proclamation recognizing Girls Health Matters Day.
  • Chicago
  • Illinois
How we're making girls' health a priority in Chicago

The Girls Opportunity Alliance supports M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment's new Resource Van and the state of Illinois declares first Girls Health Matters Day.

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  • Community Engagement
  • Education
The Girls Opportunity Alliance supports Chicago organization mentoring Black girls

Discover how Ladies of Virtue is transforming lives through mentorship and leadership

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  • Michelle Obama
  • Chicago
Girls Opportunity Alliance announces $500,000 commitment to empower girls in Chicago

Find out how 14 organizations will expand their programing and impact

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Michelle Obama addresses the Global Summit on Women's Empowerment in Dubai. Michelle Obama is sitting at a long table surrounded by three other women. The women are speaking to one and other and smiling.
  • Programs
  • Stories
In the News: The Girls Opportunity Alliance

Learn more about how the Girls Opportunity Alliance is working to empower and educate girls around the world

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There are three women on the right side of the image and three women on the left side of the image. In the center of the image, Michelle Obama is hugging a woman and facing the camera. Michelle Obama has curly hair and is wearing several rings. The woman she is hugging is facing opposite the camera – we cannot see her face – she has short curly hair and is wearing a beige sweater and black pants. In the background, several women with a range of light to deep skin tones and ages speak to one another. On the wall of the room is a poster that reads, “Girls Opportunity Alliance.” The poster has a border with short perpendicular lines in pink and light blue with a dark blue background.
  • Equality
  • Global Reach
Five women we’re celebrating for International Women’s Day

Meet five women making a difference with the help of the Girls Opportunity Alliance

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A large visual of "2022" with blue and green ombre numbers and white background.
  • Stories
  • Programs
Inspiring hope. Taking action.

As we reflect on this year, we couldn’t be more proud of the work of our global network of leaders who are tackling some of the most vital issues of our time and working together to strengthen their communities and our institutions.

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Ancela Ortiz holds her young daughters hand with pastures in the background.
  • Programs
  • Stories
Celebrate Mother’s Day with the Girls Opportunity Alliance

This Mother's Day, send your mom or the woman who raised you a card designed by the Girls Opportunity Alliance!

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This picture shows a man and a woman with medium skin tones crouching behind a tree outside, with a pink bicycle behind them.
  • Education
  • Asia-Pacific
Hay’s story

Read Hay’s story from Vietnam.

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A young woman with a medium-deep skin tone and long black and brown hair, is shown in a school classroom holding multiple books.
  • Education
  • Asia-Pacific
Kiran’s story

Read Kiran’s story from India.

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A young fairly sized women with deep skin, a small high top curly fro, and a small earing on her left ear holds a soccer ball. She is wearing a red addidas shirt, black adidas pants, and pick purple shoes. The setting is a rocky dirt field with short purple cones on the ground. A few deeper toned young girls with young hair to the side cut out by the frame. There is a rusted goal also cut out on the same side behind them.
  • Leaders
  • Africa
Thuba’s story

Thuba’s story

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A woman with medium-deep skin, long hair, eye shadow, and red lipstick lightly smiles. She has a camo military shirt on, a belt and jeans on. The setting is a classroom in ok condition.
  • Education
  • Asia-Pacific
Laxmi’s story

Laxmi’s story

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In this picture a lady with a deep skin tone wearing a teal shirt and a light blue dress with flower patterns is shown sitting on a tree stump.
  • Equality
  • Watch
Rebecca’s story

Rebecca’s story

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In this picture, a man and a woman with a deep skin tone are shown in white lab shirts. The woman faces the camera while the man doesn't.
  • Education
  • Watch
Diana’s story

Watch Diana’s story from Malawi.

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  • Take Action
  • Equality
Ways to support women and girls in Afghanistan

Through our work with the Girls Opportunity Alliance, we are committed to supporting girls to have access to the education they need. We hope you'll take action to support them however you can.

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A group of women with medium skin tones sits in a circle on the ground while books lay in front of them
  • Take Action
  • Equality
The pandemic represents a crisis for India’s girls. Meet some of the organizations working to support them.

Learn about organizations in the Girls Opportunity Alliance community that are helping girls in India to keep learning safely during the pandemic.

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A man with a deep skin tone wearing sunglasses and a white tee kisses the forehead of a young girl with a deep medium skin tone in a blue and white dress outdoors
  • Changemakers
  • Global Reach
Celebrate Father’s Day with the girls Opportunity Alliance

This Father’s Day, meet dads around the world from the Girls Opportunity Alliance community who are supporting their daughters’ education and dreams.

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Mrs. Obama faces a group of excited young girls wearing white robes with their hands above their heads in joy.
  • Michelle Obama
  • Watch
Stories of hope and resilience from the Girls Opportunity Alliance

See how Mrs. Obama is encouraging members of the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network to continue their critical work to ensure every girl gets the education she deserves during the COVID-pandemic, then watch her inspiring remarks from this year's Girl Up Le

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  • Watch
  • Michelle Obama
A message from Michelle Obama: “Join me to celebrate International Women’s Day”

In honor of International Women's Day, Mrs. Obama shared the note below with our email subscribers

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Michelle Obama raises her arms up with four young girls. All are have different ethnicities and have a range of light to deep skin tones.
  • Michelle Obama
  • Youth
Michelle Obama shares a special message for the International Day of the Girl

Mrs. Obama shared this message below to celebrate the International Day of the Girl and to announce some special news to mark the one year anniversary of the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

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A woman with a light skin tone walks her young daughter to school.
  • Education
  • Youth
The Girls Opportunity Alliance’s back-to-school challenge

Earlier today, Tiffany Drake, Executive Director of the Girls Opportunity Alliance, sent the message below to our email list in honor of her daughter’s first day of school and to lift up the importance of education for girls around the world.

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A group of woman with medium skin tones write on paper in a classroom with wooden tables.
  • Education
  • Equality
Continuing our work as the Girls Opportunity Alliance

As we continue our daily work to drive global attention, awareness, and action around adolescent girls’ education, we wanted to share that we have updated this initiative’s name to the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

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The word "2017" in bold letters with each letter filled with a photo of happy, jubilant people, hands raised or clapping.
  • Chicago
  • Global Reach
2017: our first year in review

The Obama Foundation hit the ground running this year -- from launching a Fellowship program, to convening hundreds of civic innovators from around the world in Chicago, to hosting trainings for young leaders across the country.

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An illustration of four people with a range of light to deep skin tones lifting one another up on top of a paper plane. The background is pink.

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