Laura Bush visits Ghana

Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States of America will visit Ghana from Sunday 15 to Tuesday 17 of January this year.

Mrs. Bush would be accompanied by six University Presidents of her country to unveil the "Textbooks and Learning Materials Programme" aimed to support African tertiary education with the required logistics. Ghana was chosen for the launch of Laura Bush's programme for Africa, which aims to link minority serving colleges in the United States with institutions in Africa to provide textbooks and school supplies for African students.

Mrs. Bush, a former Librarian, announcing the programme at the United States University President's Summit of International Education Luncheon early this month said: "I know that by working together, our government and our institutions of higher education can introduce people around the world to the America we know".

The programme would be launched at the Accra Teacher Training College.

As part of her three-day visit to Ghana, Mrs Bush would also travel to Liberia with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to attend the inauguration of Ellen Johnson-Sirleif, President-Elect of Liberia and the first woman to be elected President on the African continent. She will also visit the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where she will interact with some women and girl patients at the Fevers Unit. She leaves for Nigeria on Tuesday January 17.

Mrs. Bush is a college graduate of the Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor's Degree in Education, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Master's Degree in Library Science and has served as a public school teacher and librarian in the Houston, Dallas and Austin school systems.

As part of her work as the First Lady, Mrs Bush has been involved with women's issues in her country and elsewhere. Outside of the United States, Mr Bush has, especially been involved with women teachers in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban regime.

She is also involved with the public and private partnership between the USAID and other private healthcare organisations for the equipping and training of paediatricians worldwide. She is a supporter for the initiative to build a National Children's Hospital in Iraq.

Mrs Bush is the leader of President Bush's "Helping America's Youth Initiative", a programme that seeks to collaborate with the youth, parents and community leaders to help children to stay away from drugs, alcohol, early sex and violence.

Laura Bush, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor also supports education campaigns on breast cancer and heart diseases for which she has become a strong advocate emphasising healthy eating, exercises and preventive screening.

She is a lover of hiking and camping and has initiated programmes in this direction aimed to protect cultural and natural heritage by encouraging people to get involved in preserving main streets, parks and community heritage treasures.

Laura Bush, wife of the American President George Walker Bush is mother of twin daughters Jenna and Barbara. Jan 14 06