Mette-Marits visit to Malawi; January 2005

[Larzen]

Today Mette-Marit starts her five day visit to Malawi. Its her 2. trip abroad alone

Information from the embassy in Malawi: www.norway.mw


HRH the Crown Princess of Norway will visit Malawi on a work visit on 23-27 January 2005. She will be accompanied with the Norwegian Development Minister, Ms Hilde F. Johnson

The main objective of the visit is to focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and to study the response to this from Malawian authorities in cooperation with Norway and International Organisations.

In addition to arrangements in the capital Lilongwe, the Crown Princess will undertake a three days field visit in Malawi. During her stay, the HRH will visit both public and private hospitals as well as NGOs fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The Crown Princess will also officially open a partly Norwegian funded conference centre at Mua Mission.

 

[Alexandria]

Thanks for the information Larzen.

Is Mette-Marit a patron of an HIV/AIDS organization in Norway?

 

[norwegianne]

She's not a patron of such an organization, but the project she is due to visit, is one of the projects she worked with last autumn when she was stationed as a sort of trainee, if you can recall it. I think it was NORAD.

 

[Larzen]

She is patron of FOKUS, Forum for Women and Development ,which also works with HIV/AIDS questions. FOKUS has gotten the 2005 National Fundraiser on TV which will collect money for "violence against women" I seem to recal that some where it was written that FOKUS was involved in this trip but I cant find it now.

Read more about FOKUS in english here: http://www.fokuskvinner.no/English

 

[Larzen]

First pictures and article in db.no
http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2005/01/23/421161.html

She is the first forreign royal ever to visit Malawi, she was met by the Malawian Vice President Dr. Cassim Chilumpa, the minister of health, Dr. H. Ntaba and the Norwegian ambassador, Gunnar Føreland. There is only a reception on the hotel today, the program starts tomorrow.

 

[Alexandria]

Thanks for the helpful information Larzen and norwegianne.

Sorry for my geographic ignorance, but where in Africa is Malawi located exactly?

 

[norwegianne]

The Wikipedia site for Malawi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi

 

[norwegianne]

http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=263827

Mette-Marit has arrived. She's the first foreign royal to ever visit Malawi. She was met at the airport by the Vice President and an entourage.

 

[bigheadshirmp]

http://www.colourpress.com/index.cfm?Goto=frontend/fotos/ShowSerie.cfm&nPictureSerieNo=3958



pics from colorpress

Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit is on a 5-day visit in Malawi. The main focus of her visit is the prevention of HIV/Aids in the country and the medical treatment of HIV-/Aids-patients. Pictured here: The Crown Princess' arrival to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi

 

[pdas1201]

more pics from the visit

aftenposten.no

I have noticed she seems to favor the same type of top--with ruffles in the front, which she wears with a skirt.

 

[pdas1201]

Pics from Gettyimages

#8: Mette Marit at the evening reception

 

[Mandy]

Pics from Gettyimages

#8: Mette Marit at the evening reception

Thanks pdas for sharing these pictures with us.

 

[Dennism]

Great photos. I love the one with the flags. I doubt that Malawi schoolchildren have flags of Norway though. Maybe. They probably would love Norway. So exotic to them. Something else for them to think about. Malawi, unfortunately, is one of the hardest hit countries from the Aids crisis. Let´s hope the Crown Princess´s visit will encourage more people to help to stop the suffering in this country.

 

[Reina]

SHe looks so sincere and real-no haughtiness. Good job MM!

 

[Larzen]

Article from VG

http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=102359

It says that yesterday was the "easy" day with only official representation. The Palace, NORAD and the ministry of forreign affairs has done their best to prepare Mette-Marit for the things she will see to day and in the comming days. The ambassador in Malawi says it can almost look like a battlefield on some of the hospital there are people lienig every where, at the floors on the veranda outside. Many which are very thin and with big open wounds that are infected.

​

Scanpix pictures from Aftenposten

1 Arriving
2 She is accompanied by the press secretary (with glasses), a protocoll secretary, Anders Flågen former Aide de Camp to Haakon, and a personal assistant. She is from Denmark and her name is Torbjørg Hjøvarsdottir
3 With norwegian children
4 Two local children looking at the arrival
5-7 From the reception

 

[norwegianne]

Great photos. I love the one with the flags. I doubt that Malawi schoolchildren have flags of Norway though.

The children with the Norwegian flags are the Norwegian children who live in Malawi. They had apparently been looking forward to her visit for a long time, according to VG.

 

[pdas1201]

Pics from Day Two

Princess Mette Marit had a meeting with the National Aids Commission, she then visited Kamuzu Hospital

 

[pdas1201]

some more...

 

[Dennism]

The children with the Norwegian flags are the Norwegian children who live in Malawi. They had apparently been looking forward to her visit for a long time, according to VG.

Yes, they probably have especially since this is the first foreign royal to go to Malawi and it´s a Norwegian princess.

 

[Dennism]

The children with the Norwegian flags are the Norwegian children who live in Malawi. They had apparently been looking forward to her visit for a long time, according to VG.

Omelette on my face. Of course, those children would have Norwegian flags. I just thought I saw some more Malawian looking children with flags in some photos.(Foregoing the fact that Malawi is a melting pot of course). I shouldn´t joke at this time. The children of the country have suffered and continue to suffer enough. They continute to be in the middle of a horrible famine.

"A child in Malawi has a 25% chance of dying before reaching 5 years of age. A cholera outbreak orphaned 400,000 children. "
Let´s hope the Crown Princess´s presence and warm smile will bring joy to all of the children of Malawi. Mulungu Dalitsani Malawi.

 

[Dennism]

The main objective of the visit is to focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and to study the response to this from Malawian authorities in cooperation with Norway and International Organisations.

In Malawi

[font=Verdana,Arial]HIV Infected: 900,000
AIDS Deaths: 87,000
AIDS Orphans: 380,000

[/font][font=Verdana,Arial]Out of about 11 million people. [/font] [font=Verdana,Arial]
[/font]

 

[kwanfan]

"A child in Malawi has a 25% chance of dying before reaching 5 years of age. A cholera outbreak orphaned 400,000 children. "
Let´s hope the Crown Princess´s presence and warm smile will bring joy to all of the children of Malawi. Mulungu Dalitsani Malawi.

Wow! That statistic is heartbreaking! ITA hopefully Mette-Marit's visit will bring happiness to these children and draw some attention to Malwai.

 

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

It's good to see Mette-Marit working for a good cause, but I can't help but wonder whether it will have any effect. I don't doubt her skills and good intentions, but after so many campaigns of sensibilisation and prevention, aids keeps spreading more and more in Africa, the number of infected people has only increased dramatically. What can a Norwegian princess change?

 

[Larzen]

I dont think anyone thinks that Mette-Marit will change anything, nor do I think any other princess will make life altering changes on the things they support or places they visit, not in the big picture atleast. Mostly there will be some "what did she wear storys" and some pictures with children in the in the less then serious glossy magazines, and some focus on Malawi in the more serious papers and on the news, at least that is usually how it works in the scandinavian countries... is it different in Belgium?

However every year Malawi recives 200 millions NOK from Norway in forreign aid and is one of the target countrys for Norwegian development funds. One purpose with this trip, where she is accompanied by the development minister, is to see where\how the Norwegian money is spent and to open a Norwegian funded resource and education center, not to find a cure for AIDS

 

[norwegianne]

It's good to see Mette-Marit working for a good cause, but I can't help but wonder whether it will have any effect. I don't doubt her skills and good intentions, but after so many campaigns of sensibilisation and prevention, aids keeps spreading more and more in Africa, the number of infected people has only increased dramatically. What can a Norwegian princess change?

I think that she has the ability to put the media's spotlight on the cases. I certainly had no idea of how heavy Malawi was hit before she visited. I did know that Africa has major problems. However Malawi isn't a very large country, and not very often featured in the news in Norway.

Mette-Marit's visit gives a visibility for Malawi in the Norwegian press.

 

[Lyonnaise]

some more Day 2 photos from Getty

LILONGWE, MALAWI - JANUARY 24: HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway visits Kamuzu Hospital on January 24, 2005 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The princess is in Malawi until January 27, accompanied by the Norwegian Development Minister, Ms Hilde F. Johnson, focusing on the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and to study the response to this from Malawian authorities in cooperation with Norway and International Organisations.

 

[Lyonnaise]

last set of day 2 photos from Getty

 

[Dennism]

She is the first forreign royal ever to visit Malawi

I was curious about this so I decided to do some research. I have found evidence of other royals visiting:

Prince Charles: 1987 SWAZILAND, MALAWI AND KENYA: Tour as a director of the Commonwealth Development Corporation, March 27 - April 2

Queen Mother visited in 1957 and in 1960 when it was still a colony.

But Mette-Marit is the first Norwegian Royal to visit the country.

Thanks for the photos, Lyonnaise.

 

[norwegianne]

That will teach us to rely on the Norwegian press for our information

I was curious about this so I decided to do some research. I have found evidence of other royals visiting:

Prince Charles: 1987 SWAZILAND, MALAWI AND KENYA: Tour as a director of the Commonwealth Development Corporation, March 27 - April 2

Queen Mother visited in 1957 and in 1960 when it was still a colony.

But Mette-Marit is the first Norwegian Royal to visit the country.

Thanks for the photos, Lyonnaise.

 

[pdas1201]

More pics Mette Marit's first day in Malawi (sorry just found them...)