Trudeau wife: Women must be fearless
Canada’s 1st Lady hails women as ‘ womb of humanity’
Emphasising on the barriers girls face in accessing the nutrition they need, Canada’s first lady Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on Thursday launched the Asian component of Nutrition International’s ‘ she’ll grow into it’ campaign.
The wife of visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan, met with 12 adolescent schoolgirls to hear about their goals and the barriers they face in achieving them.
The schoolgirls spoke about the impact the initiative has had on their energy levels and education.
“When I learnt about anaemia, I discovered I had all the symptoms. I used to feel lethargic and could not concentrate in class. But since I have started taking iron and folic acid tablets every week, for the past one year I am able to understand my lesson much better. I have started playing outdoors every evening and I don’t feel tired like I used to,” said Thakor Saloni Varjesang, one of the girls who travelled from Gujarat.
Nutrition International globally launched the campaign in Ottawa on the International Day of the Girl Child in order to draw attention to the importance of good nutrition.
The first lady also hailed women as the “womb of humanity” and asked young women to be fearless and face the world with their heads held high. “Girls and women are the womb of humanity and they will be fully participative citizens... And men are our allies in the quest for equality,” she said.