First lady Michelle Obama landed in Africa today for the start of a trip to promote girls’ education.
Mrs Obama - travelling with her daughters - was welcomed in Liberia by traditional dancers wearing the red, white and blue colors of the American and Liberian flags.
After meeting Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Obamas traveled to the town of Kakata, where they visited a Peace Corps-sponsored leadership camp for girls, the Associated Press reported.
“I am just so thrilled to be here with you,” the first lady told the crowd.
She is traveling with daughters Malia, 18, who recently graduated high school, and Sasha, 15.
Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady’s trip, which also includes stops in Morocco and Spain.
Ebola swept through Libera in 2014, killing more than 4,800 people. Teachers died and schools were closed for months.
The country was founded as part of an effort to resettle freed American slaves and has deep ties to the United States. The country’s oldest vocational high school, located in Kakata, is named for the African-American civil rights activist Booker T. Washington.
The school suspended mid-term exams scheduled to start Monday “to allow the students to give Mrs. Obama a rousing welcome to appreciate what the United States has done for us,” principal Harris Tarnue said.
“She will be a real inspiration to the young girls around here,” he said.
Mrs. Obama’s previous visits to Africa as first lady have included Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Tanzania.
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