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Category: World News

Washington, DC - In March 2015, the President and First Lady launched Let Girls Learn, a U.S. Government initiative aimed at ensuring adolescent girls across the world attain a quality education that empowers them to reach their full potential. The initiative brings together the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Peace Corps, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and other agencies to address the range of challenges – both in and out of the classroom – that make it difficult for over 62 million girls to get the educations they deserve.

Building on U.S. Government investments and expertise, Let Girls Learn develops new programs, elevates existing programs, leverages public-private partnerships, and engages non-governmental organizations, governments, and private sector partners to commit to improving the lives of adolescent girls worldwide.

Today, the U.S. Government announces new programming in Liberia to help address the barriers that prevent girls from attaining an education. Through these programs, the U.S. Government hopes to help improve the future for adolescent girls in Liberia. The new commitments announced today build on more than $20 million in existing contributions made by a variety of organizations to the Let Girls Learn initiative and announced by the First Lady earlier this month as part of the United State of Women Summit. 

"I am thrilled that we are making these new investments in adolescent girls' education and deepening our partnership with the Government of Liberia," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "These girls are so bright and so eager to learn, and these investments will help them build the knowledge and skills they need to provide for themselves and their families and contribute fully to their communities and their country."

Last week, in an effort to encourage people around the world – especially young people – to follow her trip and engage on the issue of adolescent girls' education, the First Lady launched her Snapchat account with the help of Ellen DeGeneres, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Cosmopolitan.com, and Netflix’s Gilmore Girls. To follow the First Lady’s trip, add her on Snapchat: MichelleObama. 

New Commitments to Let Girls Learn

USAID is dedicating up to $27 million in funding to directly support Let Girls Learn through several new programs in Liberia, including:

The Peace Corps is proud to expand its Let Girls Learn program in Liberia with 51 new Peace Corps Trainees and 23 Peace Corps Response Volunteers working primarily in the education sector.

Ongoing United States initiatives to overcome barriers to adolescent girls’ education in Liberia:

USAID has a long history of partnership with Liberia and others to reduce barriers to adolescent girls’ education, including the following ongoing programs: 

Through the Education Quality and Access In Liberia (EQUAL) initiative, USAID promotes safe, child-friendly school environments for approximately 3,864 adolescent girls in Grand Bassa by preparing Parent Teacher Associations, school principals, and community ‘change makers’ to improve gender equality in education and respond to and prevent school-related GBV; and piloting safe school initiatives in 10 communities across Liberia.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s investment of $6.2 million in its Actions to Reduce Child Labor (ARCH) project helps adolescent girls engaged in or at-risk of entering exploitative child labor in rubber growing areas. In response to food insecurity as a result of the Ebola Virus Disease, ARCH is also implementing a school feeding and garden program, ensuring better nutrition for children, including adolescent girls, attending school.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's McGovern-Dole International Food For Education and Child Nutrition Program operates a $20 million, four-year award program in 10 Liberian counties that helps to ensure adolescent girls, grades 4-6, remain in school by providing a monthly take-home ration if they maintain an 80 percent or higher attendance rate.