From left: Amal Clooney, Michelle Obama, Melinda Gates.Photo: Getty (3)
Former first ladyMichelle ObamajoinedMelinda French GatesandAmal Clooneyin New York City on Tuesday to launch the “Get Her There” campaign, a global initiative to educate and empower adolescent girls around the world so they can reach their full potential.
“We created the Get Her There campaign to inspire everyone to get involved in our work — because we know that our entire world benefits when girls are educated and empowered,” the former first lady said in a statement announcing the collaboration. “That’s why I am so grateful that Melinda and Amal — two of the world’s most compelling and influential leaders for gender equity — are teaming up with the Girls Opportunity Alliance to help remove the barriers that stand in the way of every girl getting the opportunities she deserves. The barriers these girls face are very real, but I couldn’t be more hopeful about what’s ahead in our work together to support them.”
On Tuesday, the three spoke passionately in a panel about the goal of the project, highlighting statistics that estimate some 12 million girls worldwide are married before the age of 18 each year. What’s more, the women noted, one in seven girls in developing nations are married under the age of 15 and, as a result, often forced to drop out of school.
The “there” in Get Her There, Obama said, is simply “anywhere a girl can dream.”
“These girls are showing us where ‘there’ is,” Obama explained, adding: “Education made the difference in my life. … It has given me the tools to envision where ‘there’ [is for me].”
Speaking in the panel discussion, Clooney noted how the girls pushed into child marriage will never get to meet their full potential.
“Who knows how many of the [girls pushed into child marriage] could’ve gone on to cure cancer or lead a country?” she asked.
The goal in partnering with Obama and Gates, Clooney added, was to create a network of organizations with the scale to actually solve issues.
According to the release, the women will engage in joint advocacy to help meet their goals, and build on the existing work of their respective organizations, like the Clooney Foundation’s work to host fellowships and challenge discriminatory laws through the courts.
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SingerSara Bareilleswas also on hand to serenade the crowd with her song “Brave,” which she “dedicated to all the girls all over the world stepping into their power.”
source: people.com
