Meghan Markle Gave a Sweet Hug to a Young Girl During Her Visit to ActionAid This Morning

Victoria Murphy
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

From Town & Country

The Duchess of Sussex was greeted with hugs today as she made a visit to see the work of ActionAid in Johannesburg. Meghan was also presented with flowers and a note from young children at the venue, where she was set to join a discussion about gender-based violence. The visit saw her learn more about the issues that she has been highlighting throughout her tour of South Africa.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Meghan wrote: “In the lead up to this tour it weighed heavily on my heart to see the countless violations against women, and I wanted to spend my time on the ground learning about the situation at hand.”

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“On Thursday we convened a meeting of minds - a group of women ranging from a legendary anti-apartheid activist, female parliamentarians, professors, educators and policy makers to discuss the rights of women in South Africa. In the lead up to this tour it weighed heavily on my heart to see the countless violations against women, and I wanted to spend my time on the ground learning about the situation at hand. One of the guests, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn was just 18 years old when in 1956 she led 20,000 women to march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest of apartheid pass laws. She is the last living leader of the march, and today, a symbol of those who fight for fundamental human rights - For her it is simple - she fights for what is right. Issues of gender inequality affect women throughout the world, independent of race, color, creed, or socioeconomic background. In the last week I’ve met with women from all walks of life - religious leaders such as the first female rabbi in Capetown, grassroots leaders in Nyanga at Mbokodo, community activists, parliamentarians, and so many more. In sitting down with these forward thinkers, it was abundantly clear - it is not enough to simply hope for a better future; the only way forward is “hope in action.” I’m eager to spend the next few days in South Africa continuing to learn, listen and absorb the resilience and optimism I’ve felt here.“ -Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 28, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT

During the visit to ActionAid, the Duchess joined a conversation about the nature of violence against women and girls and the work being done to tackle it. She was also scheduled to privately visit a classroom where an after school girls’ club meets.

There, she was expected to speak with a number of young women between the ages of 12 and 16 who are members of the club.

Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

The engagement was Meghan’s final scheduled public outing for the day. This evening, she and baby Archie are set to be reunited with Harry as he flies back into South Africa after more than five days away. The Prince departed by charter plane Wednesday to visit Botswana, Angola and Malawi alone.

This morning in Blantyre, Malawi he visited the Mauwa Health Centre where he learned about the work of the remote clinic which serves 23,000 residents. Reports have revealed that during a discussion with young people he told them to “hold on to your dreams.”

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