Meghan backs women’s transformation
DUCHESS of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, said yesterday that empowering women through education could be transformational for communities.
She was visiting the University of Johannesburg.
Markle, who is in southern Africa with Harry and their 4-month-old son Archie, is a university graduate and women’s rights advocate, and spoke of how “deeply important and meaningful” the issue of education was for her.
“When a woman is empowered, it changes absolutely everything in the community, and starting an educational atmosphere is really a key point of that,” the Duchess told a round-table discussion with academics and students.
“Education, I think higher education specifically, is a key element for growth – economic growth, but also personal growth and development,” she added.
Markle took over in January from Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s grandmother, as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), a role the queen held for three decades.
She announced three new “gender grants” from the ACU for South African universities, the goal of which she said was gender equality and supporting women working in higher education and research roles.
The duchess also announced four new Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships that she said would see students from Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria study in South Africa next year.
Later yesterday, Markle visited the offices of ActionAid, an NGO which works with women and girls living in poverty.
She was welcomed with singing from staff and a bunch of flowers, a hug and drawings from young girls.
At ActionAid she discussed violence against women and girls with representatives from various organisations and then visited a local school to meet girls aged between 12 and 16.
While Meghan and Archie have stayed in South Africa, Harry has also visited Botswana, Angola and finally Malawi, where yesterday he visited the Mauwa Health Centre.
Crowds gathered outside the remote clinic, which serves 23 000 people, hoping to catch a glimpse of Harry as he met Health Minister Jappie Mhango, local officials and aid workers.
On a tour of the clinic, he was shown its “pharmacy-in-a-box” – a low-cost, solar-powered, air-conditioned storage facility for medicines.
Today, the couple will tour a township and meet Nelson Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel.
They will also attend a business reception and meet President Cyril Ramaphosa before flying back to London.