MAKING A DIFFERENCE ON A MOVING VISIT TO COLOMBIA
CHAMPIONS FEMALE SURVIVORS AND SPEAKS FROM THE HEART ABOUT THE POWER OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION
Bringing warmth, compassion and her dancing shoes, the Duchess of Edinburgh visited Colombia last week to shine a light on women affected by war.
Sophie, whose trip came at the request of the Government, flew to Bogotá to champion the survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. She began her stay by meeting the country’s first AfroColombian Vice President, Francia Márquez, a celebrated environmental activist and minister of equality and equity.
She then paid a moving visit to the capital’s Centre for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation, where she met survivors of sexual violence committed during Colombia’s 52-year internal armed conflict and tenderly hugged the mother of one of its victims.
That conflict, which was fought between the government, FARC revolutionaries and other guerrilla groups, far-right paramilitaries and crime syndicates, has had a disproportionate effect on women and girls, many of whom are survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The Duchess also joined a discussion with women from the Colombian armed forces to hear about their work supporting the UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda.
TIME FOR COFFEE
Later, Sophie flew south to Cali, where she was persuaded to try out some dance moves at the Somos Pacificos cultural centre.
The following day, the Duchess swapped her heels for walking boots as she visited the Trópicos Fruits of Hope Coffee Farm, where she met former FARC guerrillas who have laid down their weapons to grow the crop since Colombia’s historic peace agreement in 2016.
She sampled the coffee before visiting the Centre for Research on Tropical Agriculture Seed Bank, which works with Kew Gardens in London to support sustainable food production.
At the Humboldt Institute’s molecular analysis laboratory, she viewed UK DNA sequencing technology, which is being used to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Before leaving Cali, the Duchess enjoyed a dance performance at La Licorera cultural centre and met young people taking part in the British Council’s Dance and Peace programme, which provides opportunities for those affected by the armed conflict.
