Washington, DC — This past Saturday, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the presidential radio/web address and decried the kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls who have been missing for nearly a month. During her 5-minute address, she also spoke about the rights of girls everywhere to be educated.
She commented, “In these girls, Barack and I see our own daughters. We see their hopes, their dreams, and we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now.”
She requested that everyone pray for their safe return, and added that what happened in Nigeria was not an isolated incident, but “a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions.” The girls were abducted in the middle of the night at a school dormitory where they were studying.
She noted that more than 65 million girls around the world do not attend school, even though studies show that educated women earn more money, have healthier families and provide a boost to their countries’ economies.
“Education is truly a girl’s best chance for a bright future, not just for herself, but for her family and her nation,” she said. “I hope that any young people in America who take school for granted, any young people who are slacking off or thinking of dropping out, I hope they will learn the story of these girls and recommit themselves to their education.”
Watch the video below: