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For many girls across the world, education isn't a guarantee. In fact, even before the pandemic, more than 98 million adolescent girls around the globe werent in school for reasons like fear of danger on the commute, inability to afford education, stigma around menstruation, or cultural beliefs that sequester women to the home. Today, millions more are currently out of school as a result of COVID-19 and are at risk of never returning at all. But each of these girls, no matter her circumstance, deserves the opportunity that education provides.

That's why as we get ready to mark the International Day of the Girl on October 11, we're excited to share a conversation between two champions for girls education globally: Malala Yousafzai and Michelle Obama. Malala has inspired girls around the world with her courage and her fearless pursuit of education, even in the face of violence. When the Taliban tried to silence her, she didnt give up and whats more, she created Malala Fund to help other girls access the kind of education she got.

Like Malala, former First Lady Michelle Obama is also an advocate for girls' education. During her time in the White House, Obama started the Let Girls Learn initiative to empower girls through education. On the Day of the Girl in 2018, she launched the next phase of this work with the Girls Opportunity Alliance a program of the Obama Foundation that supports adolescent girls around the world and the grassroots leaders and organizations that work to empower them.

Joining the indomitable pair is Priya Mondol, a 17-year-old student in Kolkata, India, for whom their work is personal. Priya faced obstacles to getting an education, but with the help of Her Future Coalition, an organization supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance, she's able to keep learning during this challenging time. She joined Mrs. Obama and Malala to discuss the importance of developing resilience and to share insights about girls education and empowerment in advance of the Day of the Girl. Check it out below:

Priya: As we get ready to celebrate the International Day of the Girl, Im so excited to discuss an issue that we all care about deeply: girls education around the world. Where does your passion for empowering girls through education come from, and why is this such an important issue across the globe?

Malala: I am passionate about girls education because I personally know what it is like to be denied the right to go to schooland I know that education is every girls best hope for the future. Ive traveled around the world and met girls in refugee camps, in cities and in rural areas. Everywhere I go, I talk to incredible, resilient girls who are determined to fight for their education and pursue their dreams. They understand the power of education to transform their lives, their families, their communities and their countries.

Mrs. Obama: I'm here doing this work because I want every girl to have the same opportunities that I did growing up. So much of my life has been determined by my ability to get an education its hard to overstate that. And my first meeting with Malala really inspired me to put all the resources I could toward making sure girls all over the world can get the education they deserve. Because the truth is, there are young women like both of you in every corner of the globe, girls who are eager to learn and absolutely determined to get an education worthy of their promise. And when girls get the opportunities they deserve, we all benefit. Poverty goes down, economies grow, and babies are born healthier. The world, by all accounts, gets better. And now, with the pandemic still raging on, we need to do everything we can to ensure that girls are not left behind, no matter what school might look like in this moment or in the future.

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Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai In Conversation For International Day of the Girl - Teen Vogue