Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable, so goes the African proverb.
First things first: Yes, theyre on first-name terms with one another.
Their warmth in toasting one anothers teams at the end of the week over South African wine.
Thoko Chikondi
A tight-knit circle of kindred spirits sharing special moments.
Michelle Obama addresses school girls from Ludzi Girls Secondary School in Malawi.
She stands alongside Ulanda Mtamba, Age Africa’s Country Director, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates.
Michelle Obama addresses school girls from Ludzi Girls’ Secondary School in Malawi. She stands alongside Ulanda Mtamba, Age Africa’s Country Director, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates.
Their star power is undeniable, and theyve each commanded countless column inches.
All three are published authors.
The issue offered a unique opportunity for them to come together.
Michelle Obama addresses school girls from Ludzi Girls’ Secondary School in Malawi. She stands alongside Ulanda Mtamba, Age Africa’s Country Director, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates.
This isnt just about one girl, said Clooney.
Many girls are not that lucky.
Individually the three women have the power to command a room.
“You’re sending girls into child marriage because of poverty, but if you want to break out of poverty, you need to send the girls to school,” said Amal Clooney.
Together they may just have the power to change seemingly intractable social issues.
The gender space has been starved for resources from all of time, added Gates.
We dont fund womens health.
Change can happen in one generation, insisted Melinda French Gates.
And as Clooney put it: you might look at the statistics and they are daunting.
The real issue is when you dont have anger, and when you just have apathy and cynicism.
“Change can happen in one generation,” insisted Melinda French Gates.
Thats what I see in many corridors of power, unfortunately.
Through their unique partnership they, too, have created their own community, of which they are effusive.
These two are amazing powerhouses, said Obama of Clooney and Gates.
“These girls are fighting for their lives and still able to bring such joy and energy,” Michelle Obama.
It was Obama and Clooney who formed a friendship first, inviting Gates to join them for dinner.
These girls are fighting for their lives and still able to bring such joy and energy, Michelle Obama.
Their conversations meander between global issues, to our kids, and gossip occasionally, said Clooney.
Theres always something to talk about, even on their long plane journeys together.
We talked during the entire plane ride, literally from Malawi to Cape Town, added Obama.
We threatened taking naps, but it didnt happen.
Isabel Nema speaking to a class of students, as Melinda French Gates looks on
As Obama put it, Its the promise and possibility.
Those girls are powerhouses.
you might hear their stories, but you dont see it on their faces.
They havent let their trauma break them down.
They break my heart in all the right ways, she continued.
Read the full interview with Clooney, French Gates and Obamahere.
17-year-old Olivia Shumba presenting to Clooney, Gates, Obama and other visitors at Ludzi Girls’ Secondary School.
To meet them, to hear from them, and to see their fight up close.
Olivia, Isabel, and Donnah are all students at AGE Africas after-school program at Ludzi Girls Secondary School.
Their youthful confidence is inspiring.
These three girls have future leader written all over them.
With an infectious smile, she called on Michelle Obama to participate during a class exercise.
Olivias mother, a teacher, has been a huge driver behind her continued education.
17-year-old Olivia Shumba presenting to Clooney, Gates, Obama and other visitors at Ludzi Girls Secondary School.
Some of them are getting married, due to lack of resources, she told me.
Olivia has different plans, hoping to one day get a scholarship to an American university.
Top: Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, the CEO of Girls Not Brides, has made it her life’s work to tackle child marriage. Bottom: Dr. Mwangi-Powell withGlamoureditor in chief Samantha Barry.
Education is the key to success, going to America is my dream, she said.
She wants to be a mental health activist or a doctor.
I have a caring heart.
She also has seen her friends marry at a young age.
My friend got married at the age of 12 and had difficulty giving birth, she said.
Its kind of depressing.
Chisomo Nyemba, the president of the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, photographed at a pop-up legal clinic.
15-year-old Donnah Mwenebanda is an aspiring doctor.
As we sat down among the well-worn books of the Ludzi school library, she lit up.
To me, education is everything, Donnah said.
“Child marriage is a pandemic," Memory Banda, the founder of Foundation for Girls Leadership.
If I wasnt educated, I wouldnt be speaking English to you.
Some parents find girls education useless.
History lover and Celine Dion fan Isabel Nema understands that she is the exception to the norm.
“Those girls are powerhouses,” Michelle Obama.
Many girls are not educated; they go into early marriages, she told me.
At just 13 years old, she names a number of close friends that have already been married.
“I am going to be my own role model, Isabel Nema, 13.
She was beautifully vulnerable as she explained how the after-school programs have helped her tackle issues.
I learned about stress management and the impact of not managing stress properly, she said.
Crying can help me to forget about other things.
Isabel is an aspiring cardiologist.
I asked whether she knows anyone in the profession.
Her reply: No, I am going to be my own role model.
We met many of them in Malawi and South Africa, including Dr.
Faith Mwangi-Powell, Memory Banda, and Chisomo Nyemba.
Together we can raise the profile for child marriage, she told me.
I want the world to know that we are not there yet.
We have not ended child marriage.
Every day girls are being married.
One girl is married every three seconds.
This has to stop.
It is wrong for girls to be married when they are babies.
Bottom: Dr. Mwangi-Powell withGlamoureditor in chief Samantha Barry.
This is huge, she said.
We want many more people to step up and keep it on a global platform.
I have found anytime you tell a woman about child marriage, they get inspired.
More than a thousand people had turned up seeking legal counsel.
Chisomo Nyemba, the president of the Women Lawyers Association of Malawi, photographed at a pop-up legal clinic.
These local activists bring a deep understanding of local nuance.
Memory Banda, from Malawi, is the founder of Foundation for Girls Leadership.
Child marriage is a multifaceted challenge, she said.
It is rooted in cultural and traditional practices.
Child marriage is a pandemic,” Memory Banda, the founder of Foundation for Girls Leadership.
It is overwhelming and those girls go through trauma.
I cant imagine how those children are having babies at such a young age.
Banda sees the implications of having Obama, Clooney, and Gates focusing their funding on fighting child marriage.
I feel like it has come at the right time, she said.
I feel like they are our role models.
We want to be like them; we want to change the world.
This is the moment to connect with girls and young women around the world.
Those girls are powerhouses, Michelle Obama.
