Duchess Meghan Adds New Engagement to Busy Africa Tour Itinerary
With 35 engagements across just 10 days, no one could accuse the Sussexes of avoiding hard work on their four-country tour of Africa. And today, Buckingham Palace confirmed an additional engagement for Meghan’s itinerary: Visiting a charity in Cape Town that trains and employs women with HIV as frontline health workers across eight African nations.
A spokeswoman confirms to BAZAAR.com that Duchess Meghan will visit mothers2mothers in the capital city’s Foreshore area on Wednesday September 25. There, she will mentor mothers who deliver health services and education to women and their families in townships around the city, and visit with clients and their children.
The peer-based program delivers essential services across local communities, educating women about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV as well as initiatives covering early childhood development, adolescent health, and positive youth development.
During her visit, Meghan will gain insight into how m2m’s Mentor Mother Model created over 10,000 jobs for women living with HIV and has, so far, reached more than 11 million women and children under two years old since its launch in 2001.
“We are excited to share our big wins with the duchess,” a charity spokesperson tells BAZAAR in a statement. “We are also looking forward to an honest discussion about the challenges we still face, especially in our work with adolescent girls and young women.”
The new engagement continues Meghan’s focus on women’s issues and equal opportunities during the tour of South Africa, which will also serve as her base with five-month-old Archie for the duration of the trip. Before visiting mothers2mothers, the duchess will visit Cape Town’s Woodstock Exchange to join a discussion with 12 women entrepreneurs working in technology.
While Harry takes on engagements in Angola, Malawi, and Botswana, Meghan will host a breakfast meeting in Cape Town with women working in public services. In Johannesburg, she will visit the city’s university to discuss challenges to accessing higher education for young women, and meet with a girls' club tackling sexual violence in schools.
Nigel Casey, British High Commissioner to South Africa, told media including BAZAAR.com at a briefing today that he was “very much looking forward” to the couple’s arrival on Monday. “The tour program demonstrates the modern U.K. and South Africa partnerships as well as highlighting their interests and patronages,” he said. Joking about Archie, who is expected to join Harry and Meghan for one engagement during the tour, “They’re bringing a small passenger with them which will make things more lively!”
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