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...reSerieNo=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]

Originally Posted by pdas1201

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]

Originally Posted by Dennism

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.