Around the world, there are over 98 million adolescent girls who are not in school. If these girls were to receive an education, the amount of girls in poverty would be cut in half, lifetime earnings would increase by $15-30 trillion, and child marriage would be virtually eliminated.

This is exactly what the Global Girls Alliance, a foundation recently created by former first lady Michelle Obama, plans to help with. They claim to “empower adolescent girls around the world through education, allowing them to achieve their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries.”

Access to an education has been something taken for granted by many students in America, especially at Amador. “School, especially in our area, has prepared me with life skills on both how to work with people but it has also prepared me academically to work hard”, said Lindsay Craft (‘21). According to U.S. News, our school ranks #206 in the nation, our reading and math proficiency is over 40% greater that the state’s average, and our graduation rate is 98 percent — a stark contrast to schools in third world countries, in which public school is not free, schoolhouses are few and far between, and countless students are unable to complete a proper education for many reasons.

But, how does Global Girls Alliance plan to make a difference? Well, with their plan to aid grassroots leaders and spread awareness, the main resource they need is money. On their GoFundMe page, people can either donate money generally to the foundation, or donate it to a specific place and purpose.

For example, you can donate money to the Thousand Girls Initiative in Uganda, which helps Mayan girls break out of the cycle of poverty through education and empowerment. Or, you can donate to SHEF’s Girls’ Education Initiative in India, which helps girls who are not enrolled in school get an education by bringing them to formal school and proving them an essential, well-rounded education.

So far, almost $150,000 has been raised by the Global Girls Alliance. This money will go towards helping girls receive an education who would otherwise not be able to. Some reasons that girls in third world countries include too long of a commute, not being able to afford it, sexual assault and harassment, child marriage, assuming full-time responsibilities upon adolescence, and stigma surrounding menstruation.

“The idea that girls in other countries have little or no access to education is a sad thought. Everyone deserves an equal chance at higher education, and the fact that many girls haven’t even been to school is something that needs to change.” said Gabriella Garcia (‘20). The money raised by the Global Girls Alliance will help greatly to combat these issues and in turn allow a great number of girls to receive an education.

Through empowerment, engagement, and education, Global Girls Alliance hopes to change these long-standing issues that girls have faced while trying to receive an education. By doing so, they plan to improve the lives of countless girls and, in turn, the entire world.