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Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia are heading to Africa.(Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)
Michelle Obama is packing for a trip to Africa with daughters Sasha and Malia.
The trio leave Sunday, with planned stops in Liberia and Morocco as part of the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Let Girls Learn initiative, a program<span style="color: Red;">*</span>launched last year by President Obama and the first lady to encourage developing nations to educate the more than 62 million girls worldwide who don’t attend school.
The trip abroad will have additional star power – Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto will join along the way. In Liberia,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the first lady will meet with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and have a discussion with local teenage girls, moderated by<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Pinto.
In Marrakech, Streep will join in for a conversation with adolescent girls.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Costs for the actresses' trip are being picked up by CNN Films, which will air a documentary this fall<span style="color: Red;">*</span>featuring the stories of girls in Liberia and Morocco who have overcome barriers to going to and staying in school.
In Liberia, nearly two-thirds of Liberia’s school-age children do not attend class, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>girls dropping out of school have sharply risen since the Ebola crisis, U.S. officials told reporters Friday.
In Morocco, officials added,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>85 percent of girls are enrolled in primary school, but that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>number drops to as low as 14 percent for high schools.
Obama and her daughters will continue onto Spain on Wednesday, where the first lady<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will meet with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Queen Letizia and give a speech about the Let Girls Learn initiative.
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Honestly, a certain solemnity should be held during the pardoning of a turkey's life! The girls strike the appropriate demeanor in 2013 during the pardoning ceremony. National Turkey Federation Chairman John Burkel, left, of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, keeps the 2013 National Thanksgiving Turkey still as President Obama pardons "Popcorn" with his daughters Sasha Obama, 12, and Malia Obama, 15 on Nov. 27, 2013.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
First Lady Michelle Obama, center, her daughters Malia, left, and Sasha, second from left, are accompanied by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, third from right, watch students demonstrating remote control mechanical robots at the Beijing Normal School, a school that prepares students to attend universities abroad in Beijing, China on March 21, 2014.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> Andy Wong, AP
First lady Michelle Obama, left, watches as her daughter Malia adjusts the collar for her sister Sasha, right, as they walk out to welcome the Official White House Christmas Tree ceremony at the White House on Nov. 28, 2014. This year's White House Christmas Tree, is a White Fir grown by Chris Botek, Christmas Tree Farmer from Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Penn., his father Francis Botek is third from left. Dogs Bo Obama, left, and Sunny Obama also participated.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> Susan Walsh, AP
President Barack Obama, and family, daughters Sasha and Malia Obama, and first lady Michelle Obama, depart Roswell, N.M., Friday, June 17, 2016, after touring Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The President is touring several of the nation's national parks to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of America's national park system.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> AP Photo/Juan Labreche, AP Photo/Juan Labreche
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Contributing: The Associated Press
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