National

Jill Biden heads to Cuba on health and education mission

By Franco Ordoñez

fordonez@mcclatchydc.com

September 28, 2016 08:00 AM

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, center, shakes hands with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales, right, as Biden's wife Jill Biden looks on, during their welcome ceremony at an air force base in Guatemala City, Monday, March 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) Moises Castillo AP
WASHINGTON

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will travel to Cuba for a three-day visit to discuss educational and health initiatives with government officials, according to the White House.

Biden will be joined by Catherine M. Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, and Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. They will meet with Cuban counterparts in Havana and Camaguey, Cuba from Oct. 6-9 to discuss mutual goals related to culture, education and health.

The trip to Cuba is part of a larger visit to the region that will also include a two-day stop in the Dominican Republic to meet with government and civil society groups on economic empowerment and educational opportunities for women and girls.

As Joining Forces celebrates its fifth anniversary this week, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden honored more than 50 companies who have pledged to hire and train veterans and military spouses. In the past five years, the organization ha

By McClatchy

Email: fordonez@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @francoordonez.