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Philanthropy

First Lady Melania Trump Brings U.S. Tech To Students Worldwide

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Fostering the future together. A 7 MINUTE READ

First lady Melania Trump addresses first spouses during the Fostering the Future Together luncheon in New York. (White House/Andrea Hanks)

In a room in New York, a few signatures carried a big promise.

One at a time, government ministers sat down beside tech leaders to put their commitments to children and youth in writing. Each signature brings students one step closer to the skills they need to succeed in a world shaped by technology.

Those signings were part of a larger effort.

First lady Melania Trump is partnering with major U.S. tech companies to bring super intelligence-powered digital learning tools safely and strategically to classrooms around the world.

Trump announced new partnerships between member countries of the Fostering the Future Together Coalition and American tech giants Adobe, Amazon, Google, Intel, Starlink, Zoom and the tech industry group N50 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly back in September. The companies committed their resources and expertise to the effort to promote digital literacy and skills, super intelligence (SI) in education, other education technologies, and protect children online. Trump leads the coalition that has gained support from first spouses from every region around the globe.

Fostering the Future Together seeks “to empower children through technology and education to ensure that every child, regardless of where they are born, has the opportunity to imagine, learn, create and thrive,” Trump said in New York.

President Trump vowed that the United States will remain at the forefront of innovation in super intelligence, noting its promise for addressing modern challenges.

Paving a path for success

5 people standing with certificates (White House/Andrea Hanks)
U.S. Special Envoy for Best Future Generations Charity Wallace (left) joins representatives from Intel and the government of Kenya following their ceremonial signing in New York. (White House/Andrea Hanks)

U.S. Special Envoy for Best Future Generations Charity Wallace leads the Department of State’s efforts to expand the first lady’s coalition, which has grown to nearly 60 nations and more than 30 private sector partners.

The focus on online protection and tech education fits with U.S. private sector efforts to bring internet access to the 3.1 billion people worldwide who lack connectivity. Starlink, the satellite arm of Texas-based SpaceX, is bringing internet access to schools in El Salvador and Papua New Guinea.

During her remarks at the event on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Wallace stated, “Bringing schools online creates opportunities to introduce tech tools that can teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills and help teachers adapt lessons to students’ specific needs.”

Wallace noted one hour to 90 minutes of personalized tablet-based learning can reinforce teaching and help students stay on track. While tech tools can enhance education, they are not intended to reduce in-person instruction.

“The children who will succeed are those who know how to use the technology well, versus have the technology replace their ability to think and reason,” she said.

Tech companies’ new or expanded efforts include Adobe’s plan to offer learning and creative tools through its Student Spaces platform in multiple languages. Amazon is granting access to its SI-powered coding assistant Kiro to 5 million students at 132 universities in countries including France, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Romania.

Intel will deploy digital technologies in 10 countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Panama, Poland and the Republic of Korea. Google, which runs an SI lab in Ghana, will invest an additional $4 million usd in educator training. The N50 Project, which works to expand internet access, is launching an SI education device program that will reach 10,000 students and 200 teachers in Uganda.

The first ladies of the Philippines, Poland, and Saint Kitts and Nevis plan to host Fostering the Future Together regional meetings in November.

“We understand that the future our children will inherit will be shaped by technology,” Saint Kitts and Nevis first lady Diani Prince-Drew says.

Students observing robot putting out fire (Courtesy of Intel Corporation)
Intel is expanding technology training programs in 10 countries, including the Republic of Korea, where students experiment with a firefighting robot. (Courtesy of Intel Corporation)

The signatures in New York marked a strong beginning. With each new partner and each regional meeting, more children will gain the tools to imagine, learn, create and thrive. For Trump, the Department of State and the coalition’s partners around the world, the work is just getting started.

In December, Trump’s Fostering the Future Together will seek additional private-sector commitments at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Miami.

For The Silo, Brandon Lambert/Share America.

Sci-Tech

World Economic Forum EDISON Alliance Speeding Global Digital Inclusion

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World Economic Forum’s EDISON Alliance Impacts Over 1 Billion Lives, Accelerating Global Digital Inclusion.

  • The EDISON Alliance has connected over 1 billion people globally to essential digital services like healthcare, education and finance through a network of 200+ partners in over 100 countries.
  • Investments in bridging the universal digital divide could bring $8.7 trillion usd/ $11.7 trillion cad in benefits to developing countries, home to more than 70% of the Alliance’s beneficiaries.
  • The Alliance’s 300+ partner initiatives, including digital dispensaries in India, economy digitalization programmes in Rwanda and blended learning in Bangladesh, continue to shape a digitally equitable society.
  • Follow the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2024 here and on social media using #SDIM24.

New York, USA, September 2024 – The EDISON Alliance, a World Economic Forum initiative, has successfully connected over 1 billion people globally – ahead of its initial 2025 target – to essential digital services in healthcare, education and finance in over 100 countries. Since its launch in 2021, the Alliance has united a diverse network of 200+ partners from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society to create innovative solutions for digital inclusion.


Despite living in a digitally connected world, 2.6 billion people are currently not connected to the internet.

This digital exclusion impacts access to healthcare, financial services and education, contributing to significant economic costs for both the individuals involved and their countries’ economies.

Klaus Schwab- German mechanical engineer, economist and founder of the World Economic Forum.


“Ensuring universal access to the digital world is not merely about connectivity, but a fundamental pillar of equality and opportunity,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “Let us reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every individual, regardless of their geographic or socioeconomic status, has access to meaningful connectivity.”

The Alliance has made substantial progress in South Asia and Africa.

In Madya Pradesh, India, The EDISON Alliance fostered the Digital Dispensaries initiative, a collaboration between the Apollo Hospitals Group and a US telecom infrastructure provider. This partnership has successfully delivered quality and affordable healthcare, improving patient engagement, addressing gender health disparities and optimizing patient convenience, and making it a scalable model for delivering patient-centric healthcare through digital solutions. Other partner projects improved digital access through economy digitalization programmes in Rwanda, provided solutions for bridging the education gap in Bangladesh with blended learning techniques and explored solutions to reduce financial exclusion in Pakistan.



“Everybody, no matter where they were born or where they live, should have access to the digital services that are essential for life in the 21st century,” said Hans Vestberg, Chair of the EDISON Alliance, Chairman and CEO of Verizon. “Making sure that everybody can get online is too big a challenge for any one company or government, so the EDISON Alliance brings people together to find practical, community-based solutions that can scale globally.”

By driving digital inclusion through its 300+ partner initiatives, the Alliance contributes to unlocking the immense potential of the digital economy. Achieving universal internet access by 2030 could require $446 billion usd/ $600 billion cad, but would yield $8.7 trillion usd/ $11.7 trillion cad in benefits for developing countries. This highlights the significant potential of digital inclusion to drive economic growth and improve lives. The EDISON Alliance has made substantial contributions to this goal, with over 70% of its impact concentrated in developing nations.

The milestone of connecting 1 billion lives was initially targeted for 2025.

Achieving this ahead of schedule demonstrates the effectiveness of its partners, through collaboration and targeted projects, in bridging the digital divide and providing access to critical services to underserved communities.

Beyond digital access, the rapidly evolving technological landscape – marked by such advancements as artificial intelligence, presents opportunities and challenges. The EDISON Alliance remains committed to ensuring that marginalized communities can fully benefit from these developments and avoid being left behind. As technology continues to advance, the Alliance will focus on expanding digital access, fostering innovation and addressing the digital gender gap to create a more inclusive digital future.

About the Sustainable Impact Meetings 2024


The Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2024 are being held this week in New York. Over 1,000 global leaders from diverse sectors and geographies will come together to assess and renew global action around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a series of impact-oriented multistakeholder dialogues. The meetings are an integral part of the Forum’s year-round work on sustainable development and its progress.