“Right now, there are 98 million adolescent girls who are not in school”

“When you educate a girl you educate a family, a community, a country,” said former First Lady Michelle Obama, launching the program in an interview on NBC show Today.

“If we care about climate change, poverty…then we need to care about education. Right now, there are 98 million adolescent girls who are not in school.”

The program will support grassroots organisations, projects and leaders dedicated to girls’ education around the world.

When girls get the chance to fulfill their potential by getting an education, they can transform families, communities, even entire countries. Follow Global @GirlsAlliance and head over to https://t.co/72b7C6ko0e to join us. pic.twitter.com/IKu97YMivH

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) October 11, 2018

On the operational side, organisations can join the alliance to gain access to its network of similar organisations where best practices and resources will be shared.

The  Foundation has launched a crowdfunding platform in collaboration with GoFundMe, called the Global Girls Alliance Fund.

Donors can make a general donation to the fund or support a specific project or organisation from the ones that have joined the network.

Among the partners listed are projects supporting girls’ education in India, Malawi, Uganda, Ghana and Guatemala.

The program also seeks to raise awareness about the issue and encourage young people to get involved in the cause – the website offers material and resources to organise presentations on the importance of girls’ education and a list of organisations to join, such as Girl Up, a global leadership development initiative of the United Nations Foundation.