The Countess of Wessex to Visit Malawi
13th-16th March
The Countess of Wessex, Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, will visit Malawi to see the work being done to end avoidable blindness and champion youth leadership.
On Tuesday 14th March Her Royal Highness will travel to the Kasungu district where she will see the activities underway as part of the Trust’s initiative to eliminate blinding trachoma. The Countess will visit an educational programme at Chisuwe Primary School and meet a family affected by trachoma in their home.
Later that day The Countess will tour Kasungu District Hospital, meeting patients undergoing surgery for trachoma and the medical staff treating them. That evening HRH will call on the President of the Republic of Malawi, Mr Peter Mutharika, at State House. Afterwards His Excellency will host a State Dinner for The Countess.
On Wednesday 15th March The Countess will visit Lilongwe’s Kamuzu Hospital to see the impact of the Trust’s work to build long term capacity in Malawi to deliver quality eye care services. These include scholarships, fellowships and training for eye specialists as well as the development of new technology. HRH will meet patients being screened for eye diseases including by the new smart-phone based retinal scanning technology, Peek Retina. HRH will continue to see how new technology is impacting on diagnostics at a Primary School, where she will see a demonstration of the PEEK School screening app.
As Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust The Countess will also undertake two visits to projects run by The Queen’s Young Leaders, a Trust initiative to encourage and support exceptional young leaders in Commonwealth Countries who are changing young lives for the better.
On 15th March HRH will meet young women being supported by the ‘Girls Arise for Change’ initiative – a project set up by Queen’s Young Leader Virginia Khunguni, teaching work place skills to young women affected by violence and lack of education. The Countess will also see the ‘Loud Ink’ project in action. Set up by Queen’s Young Leader Madalo Banda, ‘Loud Ink’ provides young writers with a platform to engage in social issues through short stories.
In support of The Trust’s aim of encouraging youth leadership across the Commonwealth The Countess will also attend a reception for Malawi Young Leaders. HRH will also attend a reception on Monday 13th to celebrate Commonwealth Day.
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