HRH The Countess of Wessex, who has been in India since 29 April,
embarks upon the final leg of her tour today. Her visit
celebrates successful UK-India collaboration on tackling global
challenges such as vision ailments, preventing gender-based
violence in conflict, and promoting women’s empowerment.
In Hyderabad, Her Royal Highness visited three hospitals, in her
role as Vice-Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust,
to see the impact the charity has had in reducing avoidable
blindness in babies born prematurely. Nearly 26% of all premature
babies are born in India and are susceptible to Retinopathy of
Prematurity. If left untreated, the disease can cause
irreversible blindness. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of
the Indian Ministry of Health and the Trust’s partners, national
guidelines on the disease have now been integrated across the
country’s health system.
Speaking after her visit, Her Royal Highness said:
I was so thrilled to see the work supported by The Queen
Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in action today. We’ve come a
long way - from identifying Retinopathy of Prematurity as our
area of focus, to seeing the region wide change that we’ve been
a part of. I congratulate the Indian Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, the Public Health Foundation of India, and the
Trust for creating this remarkable legacy for the people of
India.
While in Mumbai, Her Royal Highness met with Queen’s Young
Leaders Deane de Menezes and Aditya Kulkarni, who work to
destigmatise menstruation, and reduce maternal and child
mortality rates respectively. She also met with members of the
OSCAR Foundation who are empowering underprivileged children and
youth through football.
In New Delhi, Her Royal Highness hosted a reception celebrating
successful UK-India collaboration to advance eye health in India.
As Royal champion for ‘Women, Peace, and Security’, she also
visited the Indian Armed Forces and United Services Institute.
Here she learnt about how India, as the fourth largest troop
contributing country to the UN, tackles the issue of women, peace
and security - for example through their all-female troop
deployment to Liberia, which completed its mission last year.
The Royal visit will conclude today with a school visit
celebrating cooperation between British Council and the Delhi
Government on cricket-dance sessions through the ‘Changing Moves
Changing Minds’ programme, which aims to improve gender equality,
and a reception celebrating remarkable women making their mark on
Indian society.
Reflecting on the visit, Sir Dominic Asquith, British High
Commissioner to India said:
India and the UK share a strategic partnership, based on our
common ambition to tackle some of the world’s biggest
challenges. Her Royal Highness’ visit has shone a light on our
joint efforts to address issues such as eye care to stop
preventable blindness, protecting the most vulnerable from
violence in conflict zones, and gender equality. A powerful
reminder of how, together, we can be a force for good.
The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust is a time-limited
charitable initiative launched in 2012 to mark Her Majesty the
Queen’s 60-year contribution to the Commonwealth. In India, the
Trust has helped set up services to screen for and treat
Retinopathy in 21 hospitals across 4 districts, serving a
population of over 47 million people. The Trust will close, as
planned, on 31 January 2020.
Drawing on the work and approach of the Trust, organisations with
expertise in eye health have now come together to develop a
Vision Catalyst Fund to accelerate systems change and expand
universal eye health across the globe. Preparatory work is
underway, with a view to the Fund beginning to operate in 2020.
The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme is a four-year initiative to
champion and connect young people addressing urgent challenges
facing the Commonwealth’s communities. India is home to 26
Queen’s Young Leaders and Highly Commended Runners up.
The OSCAR (Organisation for Social Change, Awareness and
Responsibility) Foundation uses football as a medium to teach
underprivileged children and youth valuable life skills and
responsibility.
The British Council, in partnership with the Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC) and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), initiated the
programme ‘Changing Moves, Changing Minds’ to address gender
inequalities in society using cricket and dance as a creative
medium. It promotes positive gender roles in boys and girls and
aims to impact 300,000 children across India over the next three
years. It aims to enrich children’s lives through integrated
dance and sports lessons that encourages girls and boys to play
together in planned ‘cricket-dance’ sessions. Enabled by
specially designed lesson plans in collaboration with MCC and
RAD, pupils are encouraged to collaborate and have conversations
about gender equality, working to break down gender stereotypes
and develop socially aware and educated citizens.
When Prime Minister Modi visited the UK in April 2018, he and
Prime Minister May agreed that the UK and India should be a joint
‘Force for Good’, tackling global issues. The UK’s partnership
with India today reflects this ambition. Please contact us for
more information on how the two countries are working together.
Check out HRH The Countess of Wessex
in India Flickr album for images of the Royal tour.
