Stories of hope and resilience from the Girls Opportunity Alliance

Mrs. Obama faces a group of excited young girls wearing white robes with their hands above their heads in joy.

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 Leadership Summit.

During these difficult times, we have been so moved by the extraordinary ways that the girls and grassroots leaders in our community have taken action to support their communities.

The challenges are daunting: more than 1.5 billion students around the world have faced school closures due to COVID-19. And we know from past crises like Ebola that the challenges girls face intensify in times of crisis, from violence at home to economic hardship to lack of access to education.

Many of these girls receive critical support from grassroots organizations around the world. We recently gathered a group of leaders from the Girls Opportunity Alliance network for a virtual conversation with Michelle Obama about their inspiring efforts to continue to support girls during COVID-19, which include launching virtual classes, delivering books and radios to help girls learn remotely, and providing food and essential supplies to girls and their families. Mrs. Obama stressed the importance of their tireless work and encouraged them to keep going.

A conversation with the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network:

Michelle Obama and Girls Opportunity Alliance leaders discuss the current state of girls’ education

This week at the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit, Mrs. Obama also celebrated the ways that girls around the world are stepping up to make an impact, from making face masks for their communities in Mexico to establishing online learning platforms in Malawi.

Watch Michelle Obama’s remarks at the Girl Up Summit:

A message from Michelle Obama to Girl Up Summit attendees

We are proud to continue to support our grassroots leaders by connecting them with each other and by releasing additional funds from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund to help sustain their work during this challenging time.

Because the truth is, this work matters more than ever: even when students are eventually allowed back into their classrooms, experts predict that millions of girls of secondary school age could remain permanently out of school. We can’t let that happen. These girls and grassroots leaders need your help so they can continue to get the support that they so deeply deserve.

Please consider supporting girls around the world by contributing to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund—and help us to keep girls learning in the months and years ahead. (Opens in a new tab)

—Tiffany

Tiffany Drake

Executive Director, Girls Opportunity Alliance

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