Michelle Obama Instagram – Ahead of #MothersDay, I wanted to tell you about Whitney and her mom, Anna. When Anna was 10-years-old, she was married because her family couldn’t afford for her to remain at home, and she was unable to finish school. Devastated, she vowed to never let that happen to her own daughter. When Whitney turned 10, her family began talking about getting her married, too. But Anna stepped in and made sure her daughter didn’t have to endure the same fate she did. Her determination to champion her daughter’s pursuit of education led Whitney to seek a scholarship from @AkiliDada, an organization we support through the Girls Opportunity Alliance. Thanks to her mother’s support and the scholarship, Whitney was able to stay in school and break the cycle of child marriage in her family. Today, Whitney is 20 years old and is starting college and dreams of becoming an accountant. Like every girl, Whitney deserves to live a life worthy of her dreams—and that’s only possible in a world without child marriage. That’s why the @GirlsOpportunityAlliance, @ClooneyFoundationforJustice, @GatesFoundation, Girls First Fund, @GirlsNotBrides_, and @VowForGirls are working together to address this critical issue. Right now, more than 12 million girls around the world marry as children each year. As Whitney’s story shows, giving girls the chance to invest in their education and their dreams helps to create a brighter future–and I hope you’ll join us in this work by supporting organizations like Akili Dada at the link in my bio.