Nepal Now / Stories / Archive 2016
Barack and Michelle Obama announce “Let Girls Learn” Plan for Nepal
By Isha Balla ·
Published· Stories
US President Barack Obamahas announced that his government will extend the “Let Girls Learn” programme in Nepal and Laos. The announcement was by the US President Obama in Laos where he was attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit. “I’m proud to announce that an initiative that’s very important to me and to my wife Michelle, an initiative called Let Girls Learn, is coming to Laos and Nepal,” read a release of President Obama’s speech issued by The White House. “None of our countries anywhere in the world can truly succeed unless our girls and our women have every opportunity to succeed, the same opportunities as boys and men do,” the release added.
Obama and his better half, US First Lady Michelle Obama also ensured the program by tweeting “Big news! Today, @POTUS a n n o u n c e d n e w #LetGirlsLearn programs in Laos & Nepal.”
Let Girls learn is an initiative by the US government launched by the White house in 2015 to address the range of challenges preventing adolescent girls from attending and completing school and realising their full potential. Thus far, the programme has been run in two countries—Malawi and Tanzania. President Obama’s announcement makes Nepal and Laos the first two Asian countries to benefit from the support.
The main objective of the programme is to empower women so that they can live their lives in dignity.
“In too many countries now, women and girls are not getting the same educational opportunities as men and boys. And research shows that when girls get an education, not only do they grow up healthier, but her children will grow up healthier also. Not only will she become more prosperous, but her community will become more prosperous,” Mr Obama said while making the announcement in front of the university audience.
Courtesy:The Kathmandu Post