Day 2. Work visit in Ethiopia

Wednesday, March 27th

Crown Princess Mary is visiting Ethiopia from March 26-27th. On her work visit she is accompanied by Danish Minister of Development Cooporation, Ulla Tørnæs.

The previous day the two of them visited Addis Ababa, here. On Wednesday the Crown Princess and Minister of Development Cooporation arrived to Shire, in Tigray - one of the cities in Ethiopia where most people of refugee populations are located. In Shire Crown Princess Mary payed a visit to, among others, a school in the refugee camp. The school became a reality because of a collaboration between Dansk Flygtninge, Norsk Flygtningehjælp, ARRA and UNHCR.

As part of her visiting the school in Shire, she planted a tree. Six students and the Minister of Development Cooporation helped out with the tree.

Crown Princess Mary also visited a home for unaccompanied minors, who have often fled on their own to be reunited with family members who, in some cases, have fled several years in advance.

Day 1. Work visit in Ethiopia

Tuesday, March 26th

Crown Princess Mary is on an unofficial work visit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 26-27th. The visit focuses on equality, health care and rights for girls and women. She is accompanied by, among others, Danish Minister of Development Cooporation Ulla Tørnæs. The two of them both visited a fertility clinic and a reproductive health center, here, and attended a meeting with female business executives and entrepreneurs, here. Crown Princess Mary also had the honor to attend a meeting in the Parliament.

From everything I see, she was in a splendid mood during her first day in Ethiopia. She was all smiles. What I read is that the Crown Princess impressed everybody with her presence. Seems like it was one big experience for her being in Addis Ababa.

Looks like Crown Princess Mary and Minister of Development Cooporation, Ulla Tørnæs started the day with a run in the streets of Addis Ababa, here.

Workshop on social norms

Tuesday, March 19th

The previous day Crown Princess Mary attended the opening of Green Challenge, here. On Tuesday she then participated a workshop on social norms with the Mary Foundation and close collaborators. It took place at Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen.

Crown Princess Mary had invited Professor Ben Cislaghi from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is an expert in, among others things, the influence of social norms on our health. Chief psychologist, Ditte Charles from the Psychiatric Foundation also participated the workshop with a presentation on how social norms are so important to us and why it is not always easy to break with the social norms of society. That is some of the things the Mary Foundation shared themselves in the Facebook-post below on occasion of the workshop.

Later she met with the new CEO of Dansk Flygtningehjælp, Agi Csonka and Secretary General, Christian Friis Bach and Communications Director Annette Spanggaard, here. Crown Princess Mary has been patron for Dansk Flygtningehjælp for quite some time. She was given an insight into the global refugee situation and several of the organization's activities that should function as lasting solutions for refugees around the world. In addition, the meeting also had focus on upcoming activities.

'Green Challenge'

Monday, March 18th

Crown Princess is back home from Texas. Meanwhile her husband is in Argentina along with his mother, Crown Princess Mary arrived to University of Copenhagen to attend the launch of Green Challenge.

Green Challenge is a research competition which aims to solve some of the climate- and environmental challenges the world is facing. Researchers will collaborate with companies and organizations to compete to develop the three best solutions that benefit both the environment and climate. The competition runs until 2023. The best solution will be rewarded with 9 million Danish kroner to realize the research solution technologically and commercially.

During her visit at University of Copenhagen she was accompanied by Danish Minster of Education and Research, Tommy Ahlers. Both of them showed great interested in what they were told and shown. As always Crown Princess Mary was in a brilliant mood - sincere, committed and curious.