Photos from RAND African First Ladies Initiative 2012
African first ladies joined former U.S. first lady Laura Bush and Cherie Blair, wife of the former U.K. prime minister, Sept. 26, 2012 at a Pardee RAND Graduate School-organized forum focused on becoming more effective leaders. The first ladies had a rare and valuable opportunity to meet with peers in a private, facilitated discussion that covered the opportunities and challenges of their unique roles. The conversations centered around ways to use the first ladies' offices to become champions of change on issues such as women's health, girls' education and women's economic empowerment. The nearly four-year-old RAND AFLI program is the most comprehensive of its kind.