Former first lady Michelle Obama shared on Instagram an adorable photograph of herself from her school days in an effort to raise awareness of the “more than 98 million adolescent girls around the world” who are not in school.
“It’s so easy for us to take our education for granted, especially here in the United States,” Obama wrote in the photo caption, adding: “I believe every girl on the planet deserves the same kind of opportunities that I’ve had—a chance to fulfil her potential and pursue her dreams. We know that when we give girls a chance to learn, they’ll seize it.”
In light of International Day of Charity on Thursday, the 55-year-old stressed in her caption that when girls have the opportunity to learn, “our whole world benefits.”
“Girls who go to school have healthier children, higher salaries, lower poverty rates, and they can even help boost their entire nation’s economy,” she wrote.
In addition to asking others to share their own back-to-school photos, she implored followers to join the Girls Opportunity Alliance to “take action for global girls’ education.”
The program, which is run by Obama and former president Barack Obama’s Obama Foundation, has a goal of empowering “adolescent girls around the world through education, allowing them to achieve their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries,” according to its website.
Obama ended her post with this hopeful message: “The future of our world is only as bright as our girls.” Hear, hear, Michelle.