Duchess Meghan spent much of her time in South Africa working on issues related to the rights of women and girls. She was so devoted to this cause during her time in southern Africa that she even Skyped in to an engagement Prince Harry had in Malawi, when he stepped out to a school to hear about what the Campaign for Female Education was doing there! On Oct. 11, she shared some footage from that event, along with some powerful archival footage of her advocating for feminist issues back when she was just 10 years old.
Meghan posted a special video to mark the International Day of the Girl on the SussexRoyal Instagram account she shares with Harry and used the opportunity to point out that the day was “created by the United Nations to acknowledge the gender inequality that exists worldwide.”
“Be it lack of access to education, stigma surrounding Menstrual Hygiene Management, forced child marriage, legal or medical inequality, or gender-based violence, there is a pressing need to support young women in their path to excellence,” she wrote. “It is also a day to celebrate and encourage girls to know their true value and to support them in taking action to grow into the women they wish to be.”
Meghan has become a role model for many women and girls worldwide, and often receives letters from fans about how they’ve been inspired by the work she’s doing and the difference she’s made in her new role as the Duchess of Sussex. Many royal watchers will likely be impressed that the clip integrates footage from a 1993 Nickelodeon interview with her that took place after she wrote a letter to Procter & Gamble in 1993, when she was just 11 years old. She had seen an ad she thought portrayed women inappropriate and decided to do something about it.
Meghan, who was in South Africa at the time, video conferenced with Harry and CAMFED at an engagement in Malawi in September! Photo: © Dominic Lipinski/Pool/Getty Images
“If you see something that you don’t like or are offended by on television or any other place, write letters and send them to the right people and you can really make a difference, not just for yourself but for lots of other people,” she says in the clip.
The short video is narrated by the duchess herself and addresses the inherent rights girls have worldwide, from learning to being heard and respected – but which are still falling short in so many places. It also includes footage from her speech at the 2015 United Nations women’s conference, which many of Meghan’s fans have told her they found touching and helpful when it came to advancing their own activism.
“It is said that girls with dreams become women with vision,” she says in a clip from the speech that is included in the video.
“Keep asking questions, keep pushing forward, keep shining brightly,” Meghan says at the end of the video. “Know your worth and know that we are behind you every step of the way.”
What a great message!