Press Release - Dr. Jill Biden Travels to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Highlight Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment

Saturday, July 16 – Monday, July 18, 2016

Dr. Jill Biden is traveling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to begin a three-country visit to Africa where she, along with Cathy Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, and Phil Karsting, Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, will engage government and civil society partners on issues related to economic empowerment and educational opportunities for women and girls. During their travel, Dr. Biden, Ambassador Russell and Administrator Karsting will also highlight partnerships on global health and food security to reduce hunger and lift people out of poverty. Dr. Biden will also make stops in Blantyre, Malawi; Lilongwe, Malawi; Niamey, Niger; and Zinder, Niger from July 18 – July 22, 2016. Dr. Biden will return to Washington, DC on July 23, 2016.

To learn more about the incredible women and girls that she will meet throughout her trip, and allow everyone to get a closer look at her travels, Dr. Biden will take over the State Department's Snapchat account: StateDept. Follow "StateDept" on Snapchat to see behind-the-scenes Snaps of Dr. Biden's visit to Africa.

On Sunday, Dr. Biden will begin her trip to Ethiopia by visiting one of its most renowned residents, Lucy. Lucy is the common name of AL 288-1, several hundred pieces of bone fossils of a female skeleton of the species Australopithecus afarensis, which is housed at the Ethiopian National Museum. This event is pooled press.

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will tour the Modern Art Museum Gebre Kristos Desta Center, where she will see the works of Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian American artist, whose paintings have been exhibited all around the world and now for the first time in Ethiopia. This event is pooled press.

Later in the afternoon, Dr. Biden will deliver remarks at the Girls Can Code project graduation ceremony at the Colonel John C. Robinson American Center at the National Archive and Library Agency (NALA). The Girls Can Code project is a year-long program which supports high school girls from local public schools. The girls not only learn coding, computer technology, and life and leadership skills, but they carry their enthusiasm for STEM back to their schools where they mentor other girl students. This event is open press.

In the evening, Dr. Biden will attend a reception with women leaders from a cross section of Ethiopian society at the Chief of Mission Residence. This event is pooled press.

On Monday, Dr Biden will visit the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Transit Center where she will learn about the process of clearing refugees for entry into the United States. This event is pooled press.

Afterwards, Dr. Biden will depart Addis Ababa, Ethiopia en route Blantyre, Malawi.