Thanksgiving might be in the rearview mirror, but Michelle Obama is still in a giving mood. The former first lady has agreed to donate more than $500, 000 for girls’ education accumulated from the proceeds from her memoir, “Becoming”.
The Obama Foundation, set up by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama in 2018, launched the Girls Opportunity Alliance to support international efforts to ensure more girls have access to education.
“Over the past year I’ve been incredibly blessed and humbled by the response to my book, and I’m proud to channel that enthusiasm toward girls around the world,” Michelle Obama said in a statement. “My hope is that this donation will help more bold and brilliant girls reach their fullest potential, continuing upward on their path toward becoming the women they are meant to be.”
Mrs. Obama will travel to Asia this month with Today Show co-host Jenna Bush Hager, actress Julia Roberts, and others as part of the foundation’s work — in an effort to highlight girls and organizations that empower them.
“I’ve always thought of helping others as a responsibility,” Mrs. Obama said. “This duty of giving back is what my parents and grandparents taught me, and it’s a value I’ve tried to live by my entire life — because it’s not enough just to make your way through life, thinking only of yourself.”
According to the Obama Foundation, the donation “will fully fund existing projects that are supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund and fund new projects being released, including a new series of projects being supported by the Fund in Vietnam.”
We’re professional journalists who proudly advocate for equal rights. We unite those who are marginalized.
