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While she was sitting with young mothers and mentors working with the mother-mother charity in Cape Town, South Africa, the Duchess Meghan stopped and watched the ground covered with toys. Then she looked at the young children and the babies sitting on the knees that surrounded her. "We should all sit here," she said pointing to the floor. "If it was Archie and we had all these toys in the middle, but I made her sit in the chair, it would be so unfair!"
The other mothers smiled nervously when Meghan stood up, sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. Patting a hand on the floor, Meghan encouraged them to join her: "I can not be the only one here!"
This candid moment was an instant ice-cream, providing a welcome space for mothers, all of whom received support from the charity after being diagnosed with HIV. The single mother Limpho Nteko, 29, tells BAZAAR.com"The way she put us all at ease so quickly, she just wanted to connect, listen and share. It was too good. "
And share they did it. Nteko, born in Lesotho, recounted how she was diagnosed with HIV at age 19 when she was pregnant. "I was married and I just remember being scared, ashamed and it was a very difficult time," she says. She later gave birth to a baby without HIV, but her child died three weeks later. "I'm so sorry," Meghan told him, touching Nteko's hand while they were talking.
Ten years later, Nteko is now a mother of two and is now an integral part of mothers2 mothers (m2m) after receiving help as a teenager. She now works as a "mentor mother" and regional director in Lesotho, where she oversees and supports other mentors – 84 women and more. "I was able to share my story with the Duchess, from where I started where I am now," Nteko says. "My job is complete with the work I do here, but when you're fully independent, it does not seem like a chore. There is still a lot to do. "
mothers2 mothers
During their group discussion, Meghan told Nteko, "What you do is so important." She continued, "When you have a role model with a shared experience, it creates a much faster connection and that Is great to be able to do it. that … And look at you, so powerful!
The visit to the charity of the Duchess of Sussex on September 25 marked her second solo engagement during the royal tour. Arriving at the m2m headquarters in Cape Town, Meghan entered the fourth floor space, armed with a small offering to all the women she was going to meet – clothes that Archie Baby and some of the children of his friends had passed, including a tiny romper Invictus Games.
"Here are some things I thought were useful," she said with a smile as she pulled out a small t-shirt with the inscription "The Future" in a black bag that she packed and brought from London. . "I just thought that in the spirit of the community, what's good is to be able to share some of the things we have at home. So, of course, we can ensure that everything you need is provided, but we brought things that my friends and I used for our children and Archie and that are no longer us. Pointing the bag, which also had some toys and books inside, she added, "We just wanted to share something from our house to each of you."
The engagement was a last-minute addition to the Royal Tour's lineup, but an assistant BAZAAR.com As soon as the Duchess learned about the work done by the charity, "she had to visit him". For CEO Frank Beadle De Palomo, it's a chance for the charity to share its mission with the world. "As an individual who cares about these issues, she is part of the zeitgeist of someone who understands what we are doing, and she can help share our message with even more people," he says. "She has this incredible ability to put people at ease. She has shown so much respect and empathy for the women here.
The organization trains and empowers HIV-positive women to become front-line health workers in their communities and become role models as healthy, HIV-positive women who lead a normal life. Their "mentor-mothers" work in communities in eight African countries, including Angola and Tanzania, where they make home visits and support in health facilities to provide women and their families with counseling. appropriate treatments and medications. Since its creation in 2001, m2m has helped 11 million women and children under two years old in Africa. Over the last five years, the clients she works with have virtually eliminated the transmission of HIV from mother to child.
"She came here and listened to each person, she touched every woman here in a different way," Palomo said. BAZAAR. "Her energy is so contagious, when she left everyone was so motivated. And it was wonderful to see her interact with children, it's natural. "
On leaving, Meghan stopped to tickle Asivile, 15 months old, who was rolling on the ground with some of the toys. "Look who has the best time and lives his best life!" Meghan burst out laughing before hugging all the women and saying goodbye.
Earlier in the day, Meghan visited entrepreneurs at the Woodstock Exchange to learn more about the Ladies Who Launch initiative. While talking with Lara Rosemarie, CEO of Cape Innovation and Technology, she spoke about her role as a mother at work. "You have to juggle a lot," Meghan told the mother of two. "We are only five months now. Being a mother at work and also traveling with a baby – my God, that's a lot, but it's so exciting. There are days when there is a lot to juggle, but then you meet someone, you have an impact on them, and you say "A-ha", and it's so rewarding . "
Before completing her work in Cape Town, Meghan will attend the Women in the Public Service breakfast at the High Commission on September 27th. An embargo on the photos and reports on the engagement will be lifted after Harry's return from his solo trips. He travels to Botswana, Angola and Malawi for commitments such as tomorrow's tree planting with Queen's Commonwealth Canopy and a visit to the Sentebale project in Kasane. "They do not want to go away," said an assistant at BAZAAR.com. "They want every engagement to have visibility."
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