US First Lady, Michelle Obama, launched a $100 million aid package in Morocco Tuesday to promote the girls education in the country in which about half of females over 15 are illiterate.
She visited Marakech along with actresses Meryl Streep and Frieda Pinto of the “Slumdog Millionaire” film, she told girls in attendance she wanted them to be part of a global conversation on female education.
“We want to share this conversation with young girls around the world, particularly in the United States,” she said.
Michelle was accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, they arrived on Monday evening in Marakech and was welcomed by King Mohamed VI.
She launched her “Let Girls Learn” education initiative in March 2015 to assist adolescent girls across the world get access a quality education.
She has since travelled the globe to call for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.
“She shared lots of things with us that will help us to work hard and focus on our education,” Rihab Boutadghart, a beneficiary of the initiative, said after attending the launch in Marakech.
According to a US aid agency, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Morocco has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world,.
The MCC used Michelle’s visit to announce a nearly $100-million (90 million euros) fund to tackle high drop-out rates among girls and make schools more “girl-friendly”.
The MCC noted that the money will fund internships, girl-friendly bathrooms and training for teachers, and is expected to benefit about 100,000 students.
USAID pledged to spend $400,000 through an NGO to establish five new dorms for girls across the country.
Obama said she hoped the funds would “help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise”.
In a 2014 study by a government bofy, High Commission for Planning, over half of Moroccan girls aged over 15 are illiterate, despite efforts by the government and NGOs to promote their education.
But the same study said the rate of school attendance among girls of 7-12 years old had risen from 78 percent in 2004 to 94 percent in 2014.
Michelle Obama says girls around the world face challenges that prevent more than 62 million from getting an education.
The first lady had earlier spent Monday in Liberia, where she told girls to fight to stay in school despite financial pressures that cause the vast majority to drop out.
She then continues her trip with a visit to Spain on Thursday, there she will deliver a speech on the education initiative before meeting Queen Letizia.
