Albuquerque Journal

Ivanka Trump meets with female landowners

Changes to Morocco laws allow women to own land

- BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE

SIDI KACEM, Morocco — Visiting Morocco for the first time, Ivanka Trump received a warm welcome Thursday from women who are benefiting from new laws that allow them to own land.

One woman expressed her gratitude by embracing President Donald Trump’s daughter and kissing her hands.

Ivanka Trump is a senior White House adviser who works on women’s issues and has sought to encourage developing countries to help women build wealth and financial independen­ce by owning land or other property.

Morocco is one such nation. Working in partnershi­p with U.S. aid agency Millennium Challenge

Corp., Morocco has updated its land titling laws and earned the three-day visit from the U.S. president’s daughter.

At an olive grove in a region north of the capital of Rabat, she met four women who had inherited or bought land — something they previously could not do.

She later strutted her way into a ceremony as participan­ts banged drums and blew horns. Inside, women ululated to show their approval.

“When you invest in women, they invest back into their families and communitie­s, and countries flourish,” she said.

The festive atmosphere likely offered a fleeting diversion from daily developmen­ts back home in Washington, where House impeachmen­t investigat­ors continue to take deposition­s in the case against her father for asking Ukraine to investigat­e his political opponents.

 ?? JACQUELYN MARTIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Farmer Aicha Bourkib kisses Ivanka Trump’s hands in Sidi Kacem Province, Morocco, Thursday. She is one woman benefittin­g from recent changes to land laws.
JACQUELYN MARTIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS Farmer Aicha Bourkib kisses Ivanka Trump’s hands in Sidi Kacem Province, Morocco, Thursday. She is one woman benefittin­g from recent changes to land laws.

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