Michelle Obama Instagram – This #InternationalWomensDay, I’m thinking of girls like Miriam. When Miriam was just 11 years old, she learned that her family had made the decision for her to get married. Miriam’s family had fallen on hard times, and they needed the dowry that would come from her marriage. Growing up in Kenya, Miriam had seen some of her friends marry as teenagers and then drop out of school. She was worried she’d follow the same path. But with the help of @KakenyasDream—a remarkable organization that we support through the @GirlsOpportunityAlliance at the @ObamaFoundation—Miriam was able to enroll in school and graduate. And when she eventually married and started a family, the decision was her own. Stories like Miriam’s highlight why child marriage remains one of the greatest threats to girls’ education and empowerment worldwide. Each year, an estimated 12 million girls around the world are married under the age of 18 years old. As the data shows, marrying young has dire consequences: Child brides are more likely to leave school, experience violence, struggle to earn an income, have an unintended pregnancy, and suffer a miscarriage or die during pregnancy. And that’s why the Girls Opportunity Alliance, @ClooneyFoundationforJustice, @GatesFoundation, @GirlsNotBrides_, Girls First Fund, and @VOWforgirls are coming together to help end child marriage. I hope you’ll read my piece with Amal Clooney and @MelindaFrenchGates in @TIME to learn more about this critical issue—and then take action at the link in my bio to support girls like Miriam all over the world.