Princess Marie as Patron of DanChurchAid

[carlota]

i'm looking forward to the trip starting. it's nice to see how the DRF lets their newer members like mary and marie take relatively long journeys and perform relatively long official visits on their own. :)

[polyesco]

Originally Posted by carlota

i'm looking forward to the trip starting. it's nice to see how the DRF lets their newer members like mary and marie take relatively long journeys and perform relatively long official visits on their own. :)

I agree. Both are an asset to the family

[rchainho]

marie's the favourite of henrik.

[ricarda]

How do you know? Did he tell you?

First article and picture of Marie in Ethiopia
Prinsesse Marie besøgte møllefabrik i Etiopien | Billed Bladet

Marie visited the Danish firm Engsko which produces mills for the corn and coffee industry. She also met with the Danish Foreign Minister who also is in Ethiopia at the moment.

[iceflower]

Here are some more pics of that visit and meeting today:



** herognu.com: Prinsesse Maries high five med Holger K. Nielsen ** translation **

[iceflower]

.

The following gallery of the DanChurchAid visit in of the official website will probably be updated during the next days:


** kongehuset.dk: Besøg i Etiopien 2014 **

[Muhler]

Thanks, Iceflower & Ricarda.

I see BB has dispatched Henrik Salling to cover this trip, he has previously followed our Marie closely, but this is AFAIR the first major trip abroad covering Marie and it will be interesting to see how he deals with it.
Anyway, the gentleman with whom Marie share a double-high-five is the Foreign Minister Holger K (Nielsen). He is fairly inexperienced minister as yet (Marie actually has more experience than him, when it comes to representing) but certainly a vast improvement over the previous foreign minister! He is accompanying Marie on this part of the trip because he will be attending a meeting at the African Union, with the purpose of creating initatives and conditions for economic growth in Africa.
The mill-stone factory here is a part of that indirect economic aid, because even though it's Danish owned (to ensure capital, leadership experience and to be brutally honest, to avoid corruption and nepotism) it is nevertheless an example of what is in many ways the most efficent form of aid in developing countries: low-tech equipment that is vital and can be used instantly and by everyone on a local level. I.e. enabling people to set up small family-businesses and for a reasonable amount of money. In this case mills for grinding coffee and corn.

Another example of Danish initiative is currently taking place in East Africa. A Danish engineer who had lived for a number of years in South East Asia. He went to Africa and with him he brought a technigue from Asia, where you can set up a kiln for brick production, using very low tech equipment, and more importantly using local, freely available material. Result: kilns are shooting up like mushrooms, in some districts it's common with a kiln for each village, creating jobs in the building sector and benefitting the economy. - There's a guy who seriously deserves a Knights Cross!

Okay, a lot of boring text stuff as usual, I know, but crucial if you wish to know why Danish organisations and as a consequence Marie are in Ethiopia in the first place. She's not just there to charm the locals.

[polyesco]

Always appreciate your insights and background info, In cases where people might wonder why the royals visit certain areas in the first place

[Muhler]

Very glad you find it interesting.

Etiopiens børn vilde med prinsesse Marie | Billed Bladet

BB continues the coverage from the second day of the expedition. This time Marie went on an eleven hour drive to Goba.
During the drive they made a number of pitstops. And that meant that the locals, the children especially, gathered around.
Strangers, princesses or not are a novelty in this area and attracts attention. And Marie was at the centre of attention, presumably because the locals could notice that she was treated in a special way.
Towards the end of the journey our Marie handed out bananas, which had been bought at a previous pitstop, to the curious children. (That should make for some nice pics).

[marine2109]

Princess Marie of Denmark brings joy to locals on tour of Ethiopia

Princess Marie of Denmark's visit to Ethiopia - hellomagazine.com

[Muhler]

BB has a little update on Marie's journey through Ethiopia: Prinsesse Marie: Det er svært med børnene | Billed Bladet

She was today presented with a goat by the locals, and it's always interesting to learn what actually happens with the animals the royals are presented with, but let's start with our Marie's own response: "I was very pleased with my present. It's a great honor. I've never been presented with a goat before. But it's important for them to give something in return and it's difficult to say no. I didn't want to say no to the present but they need the goat more than I do. - My husband is a skillful farmer and he would be able to look after the goat".

The goat was indeed brought back to the hotel, where the Danish delegation is staying and it munched contededly on the grass at the hotel. Later on it will quietly be donated to a local family.

This trip has hardly been covered in the Danish media so far. Presumably because there is so much happening here politically which take up a lot of space in the papers.

[iceflower]

Originally Posted by Muhler

This trip has hardly been covered in the Danish media so far. Presumably because there is so much happening here politically which take up a lot of space in the papers.

Understandable, but nevertheless a pity..


** svenskdam.se: Prinsessan Marie på resa i Etiopien ** translation **

[Muhler]

Indeed, Iceflower.

But today, finally, we have a five pic gallery from BT: Se billederne: Prinsesse Marie i Etiopien | www.bt.dk

The before mentioned goat is also depicted.

[polyesco]

Love this picture of her taking her goat home : D
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe/...etiopien-8.img

[Muhler]

I was interested to learn how BB's reporter Henrik Salling would cover our Marie's trip to Ethiopia. It was I believe one of his first major trips abroad with the DRF and I would like to know his style.
The article in this weeks issue cover the first day of Marie's visit and so far I think he has done well. Henrik Salling has always been very positive towards Marie but his account is also pretty matter of fact.

But judge for yourselves, you can read it here: https://app.box.com/s/mbeej3hdku5njmq7jvme

[polyesco]

Very straight forward.
thanks
last day for Marie.



the DRF is also using this picture of Marie in Ethiopia as one of their main pics
http://kongehuset.dk/materialemappe/Images/etiopien.img
a wonderful smile

[Muhler]

And on this the last day, our man in Africa, Henrik Salling, explains why pics and reports have been few and far between. There simply isn't inadequte telephone and internet connection that far out. (Amazing how we take that for granted now). - I guess they are out there where the pigs wear number plates. (DK idiom).

There is also a video:

Prinsesse Marie i Etiopien 2014 - YouTube

In the clip our Marie asks how far the women carry the jerry cans with water. - Five kilometres.
Not even the representatives for DanChurchAid had been that far out before.
And the now famous goat makes another appearance.
Towards the end of the clip, she greets some HIV infected.

[Muhler]

BB wraps up Marie's trip to Ethiopia with a comprehensive coverage.
Our man in Africa, Henrik Salling, is using a unique but actually very good style IMO.
Matter of fact articles that serves as background info, for detailed captions of the pictures. On top of that we have a brief interview with our Marie.

As such I will divide this into three parts.
A summary of the article.

A detailed look at the captions, probably Saturday.

And the interview.

Sadly this is a trip that for various reasons didn't get much coverage here in DK and as it is an important topic, I think it deserves a little extra effort.

First a sense of the atmosphere by Henrik Salling:
We are in one of the most remote places on the planet. There where the road ends and there where the baking sun is both friend and enemy. Here life depends on whether you get the necessary amount of water to keep you alive and that the harvest, no matter the cost, does not fail.
People from from the nearby villages have gathered and stend with expectancy in their eyes. They in unison with their hands and many have walked several kilometres. Because today something very special will happen.
In the middle of the whole things stands a Danish Princess. She smiles to the children, who look on with puzzled eyes. They stand very still. Some have never seen a white person before... and certainly not princess. The visit is historical in a way and perhaps the only one of it's kind in these parts...

At the moment things are reasonably well in Ethiopia, apart from poverty, infant mortallity, the rising number born or infected with HIV and so on.
It is also a country with a culture going back to Biblical times.
But, every five years or so the country litterally dires out and famine strikes.
On top of that there is a population explosion going on, with an increase that is estimated to be between 30 and 90 million people since the 1980's. No one really knows, in the rural district very few are registered and the average couple have at least four children.
It was into this world, 400 KM from Addis Abbaba, that Marie went on the second day of her journey. Here she saw some of the projects initiated and in some cases run by DanChurchAid.
It was here Marie met the locals and they in return got to see the giraffe. (DK idiom: Seeing something very novel). But they are also proud people and even though they may be poor, Marie as an honoured visitor, must be given a present in return, so she recieved a goat as well as a local womans dress, that on the face of it looks fairly simple, but as it has been handmade it has been a big job!
The goat has found a new home with a HIV infected family and it is expected to soon end up in the cooking pot. Most male goats are destined for the dinner table.
Beforehand HIV infected were ostricised. If they were invited at all to village gatherings, they had to sit at their own tables and they had to bring their own cups. That has changed.

It's harvest time now in Ethiopia and as mentioned previously things are pretty well down there these days. Some families actually have two meals a day...

I notice from the pictures that apparently no PET officers accompanied Marie and I couldn't even spot any local security. That surprise me a lot!

The interview is coming up, followed by an indepth look at the captions in the next post. (They will deliberatly be kept seperate).

[Muhler]

Marie's interview: https://app.box.com/s/xvu0gol3u92lka9i8xct

I think Henrik Salling has faithfully recorded Marie's words.
She express herself is a farily simple way, as can be expected by someone who has only been speaking Danish for a few years.
I.e. keeping it safe, with short sentences and everyday words - and she has adopted the native habit of cutting off sentences.

----------------------------------


Right, now for the captions. In order to make better sense of it all, I have scanned the pics to the captions and I'll write a summary below.
Each caption has been given a letter.

https://app.box.com/s/6ijgntr499mbapovqyyo

https://app.box.com/s/n7htek3zscxtym776x9s
A: Here our Marie is interating with school children at Jibri, 400 KM from Addis Ababa. DanChurchAid (DCA), has a project where rainwater is being collected from the schools roof. A very small investment with a big effect.

https://app.box.com/s/t2macvxu8zrq4x2iy1zz

https://app.box.com/s/mkanh50n2bvere8u0htn
B: Henrik Salling has always been an...admirer of Marie. This quote says it all I think: Princess Marie has from nature been equipped with a sweetness and a natural way of behaving which rubs off on all on her way.
Apart from that, she is here meeting an HIV infected family at the Goro district.

C: The infamous goat. And Marie was deeply honored by recieving the goat - knowing well what a goat actually means when you are poor. It's their way of showing gratitude.

D: It's the job of the women to fetch water and that is transported in jerrycans, worn on the back of the women. Weighing twenty kilos the women carry such cans for five kilometres.

E: The goat enjoying a free meal in the hotel garden - before ending up at a local family and eventually on the dinner table.

https://app.box.com/s/a2mwt5euqk9w4lhstsy9
F: On the long drive from the capital the cortege stopped a number of times and refreshments were purchased. Among them bananas which Marie handed out at the next pit stop. The children had no idea they were presented with royal bananas.

G: A classroom at the school mentioned under A. There are 200 pupils and the class consists of 60 pupils.
The school was build in 2010. The rain-gathering-equipment on the roof ensure that the school is self-reliant on drinking water and that has the added effect of more children attending school. Simply because there they get fresh drinking water every day.

H: At the village of Tufa-Miessa. It's the women who look after crops while men look after the animals. DCA have supported women with planting new crops, in this case papaya. That has the added bonus that women in this way gain more importance within the family. Simply because she creates more income.

https://app.box.com/s/2brsv3eke0wkwwv3e205
I: At the village of Jibri. The entire village turned out in force.

J: The village of Tufa-Miessa presented Marie with a dress in thye local design.

https://app.box.com/s/nqdl9y2xbudxl6t702tm
K: Marie actually stayed for half a day longer in Ethiopia, to get a good rest, before she went home to her family. She didnøt want to be completely wasted when she saw them again.

https://app.box.com/s/sxwf146x30vou6uk60kg

https://app.box.com/s/8maaznjgowwtflxzdwus
M: When you can't speak the same language a good tickle helps.

https://app.box.com/s/zl8ghg4g28z342yo2fs2
N: The, again, low-cost investments in agriculture at the village of Tufa-Miessa has meant that the status of women has gone up. Normally it's the women whp do most of the hard work, within the families.

O: Two simple pumping stations at the village of Jibri has meant that the local living standard has gone up. Easier access to fresh water, which agains makes it faster and easier to wash and cook.

P: The man to the right of Marie is the secretary general of DCA, Henrik Stubkjær. The man to the left must be a governemnt official, because I've seen him in a number of pics. The man to the far left of Marie is DCA's head in Ethiopia, Mads Lindegaard.

[Muhler]

The journey of our Marie to Ethiopia will be shown on TV2 this Saturday at 18.25. So it will last about half an hour.
It was a crew from the regional TV Syd, who often follow J&M on the job in Southern Jutland, who went with her to Africa.

Marie says in the docu: "I was less than ten years old when the great famine hit Ethiopia in the summer of 1984. Those were dreadful pictures.
I cannot imagine myself being a mother and not being ablt to feed my child.
I cannot enjoy my life without supporting and helping other people. My social commitment comes from the heart. It's important for me to be in it with my heart in what I do.
The aim is to eradicate the extreme poverty. Every individual can make a difference".

I don't expect to see it live, but I'll record it and give a summary later. And I guess the docu will be online later.