Category Charities

With the Sussexes continuing to be a trending topic around the world, Duchess Meghan is making sure that the spotlight remains firmly fixed on what matters most—their work.

The Duchess of Sussex began a series of visits to community-focused women’s charities close to the couple’s temporary Vancouver Island home this week, stopping by at an organization that has spent the past 21 years promoting rights and equality for young girls.

Justice For Girls was one of a few visits made by Meghan to local charities and organizations in Vancouver on Tuesday, January 14, after a Sussex aide reached out to share that the duchess finds their work “credible and compelling” and was eager to learn more.

Over tea (and note taking), Meghan spent an hour listening to stories from staff at the non-profit organization and spoke to the group about her commitment to advancing gender equity and other women’s issues. “We were very moved by the duchess visiting us despite terrible weather conditions in Vancouver and her very recent arrival,” co-director Zoe Craig-Sparrow tells BAZAAR.com. “We were struck by how engaged and informed she was on the issues we discussed, and how quickly and gracefully she put us at ease.”

“She was well-informed about the rights of girls and women and the need to challenge social inequality in a way that is holistic and global,” adds Craig-Sparrow. “Some of the issues we talked about included violence against girls; poverty and how it impacts access to education; girls’ rights in relation to the environment; leadership globally on issues of social and environmental justice; parallels between the struggles of girls in Canada with girls around the world; the need to approach social change in a holistic [and] integrated way, and how our proposed Justice for Girls Center aims to do just that.”

One of the key topics discussed during the meeting was Canada’s current and ongoing epidemic of violence against Indigenous girls and women, which has seen over 4,000 Indigenous women murdered or go missing across the country in the past 30 years. “This work is critically important in Canada where the impacts of colonization continue to harm indigenous girls and women through epidemic violence, social and economic inequality, environmental racism and denial of the rights of Indigenous peoples,” explains Craig-Sparrow, who was born and raised on Vancouver’s only First Nations band government, the Musqueam Indian Band.

Founded in 1999, Justice For Girls was created to address the needs and vulnerabilities of girls, particularly in relation to homelessness, poverty, and violence. As the charity underlines, true equality can only exist once these issues have been eliminated.

On the same day, Meghan also paid a visit to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, which provides a safe space offering everything from meals to internet access to women and children in one of Vancouver’s poorest areas.

For the the women working at Justice For Girls, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s plans to spend substantial time in the region makes for an exciting time. Says Craig-Sparrow, “[Meghan] will bring her commitment and intelligence to the issues she cares about, especially the rights of women and girls, and will use her position to help.”

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.com

Prince Harry and Meghan are leaving the Royal Foundation that they currently share with Prince William and Kate and will set up their own charitable foundation later this year, it has been announced. Kensington Palace announced the split today, but said that the couples will continue to work together on key projects such as their mental health campaign Heads Together.

The move comes following the announcement in March that the Sussexes will set up their own household with a new team. It also comes amid suggestions that the two couples have not been getting along, but palace aides said today that the decision about the Foundation was taken with the couples “divergent paths” in mind and was designed to be “future proof” for decades. Aides also pointed to the fact that the Cambridges path as future King and Queen is more restricted and the Sussexes have more freedom to pursue different types of charity projects.

“Later this year The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” reads a statement from Kensington Palace. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation.”

A spokesman described the changes as “designed to best complement the work and responsibilities of Their Royal Highnesses as they prepare for their future roles, and to better align their charitable activity with their new households.”

Both William and Harry attended a meeting of the Foundation trustees at Kensington Palace yesterday where they arrived together and spoke with trustees about the changes. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are incredibly proud of what they have achieved together through the Royal Foundation,” says a spokesman. “They are especially proud to have established a charity that has had, and will continue to have, significant long-lasting impact, changing lives for the better.”

The decision, described as a “collective decision,” is the conclusion of a months-long review which began following the announcement that the Sussexes would establish their own household. The current Foundation will be known as The Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and will continue to house joint initiatives such as Heads Together.

Aides said that any projects solely associated with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the funds allocated to them would likely become part of the new Foundation, but details on individual projects have yet to be decided. Aides stressed that the couples’ commitment to their charities was “absolutely paramount.”

As part of the changes, it is understood that a small number of posts are being put at risk of redundancy.

The Foundation was created in 2009 as an umbrella organization for William and Harry’s charitable endeavors. Kate became the third patron after marrying William in 2011 and Meghan joined as the fourth patron after her marriage to Harry last year.

Ahead of the Sussex’s wedding, in February of 2018, the foursome took park in a joint charity forum where they spoke about their charitable focusses and the work of the Foundation under the theme ‘Making a Difference Together.’

The Foundation has played host to several successful initiatives, most notably the young royals’ mental health campaign Heads Together. It has given out grants including £2 million in October 2017 towards backing digital solutions for mental health. The organization also created the Endeavour Fund, which supports wounded, injured or sick service personnel to use sport and adventure as part of their recovery. Additionally, Meghan’s cookbook to raise money for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, which has sold 130,000 copies worldwide, was supported by the Foundation.

Source: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/