On 29th April 2019 Sophie, Countess of Wessex embarked on a 5 day trip to India in her role as Vice-Patron of The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Trust. The Trust was established in 2012 as a celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and is a charitable foundation owned by the whole commonwealth. It aims to leave a legacy as it tackles avoidable blindness, with a determination to eliminate it, and raise up young leaders.
The Countess’ visit began in Hyderabad where she learned about retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a potentially avoidable eye condition that affects premature babies. Before the trust began their work in the country in 2014 there was no national programme to prevent ROP but now national guidelines across India’s health system have been integrated. The Countess watched the screening programme for ROP at Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Hyderabad, where parents had gathered with their babies. Sophie, with Dr Jalili, who has saved the sight of over 20,000 babies, was shown LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, a Centre of Excellence in the prevention of blindness. She addressed health professional’s and trust representatives, saying, “You’ve been a fantastic example of what can be achieved and what can be achieved in partnership with other people. Thank you for everything you’re doing.”
On day 2, the Countess visited Niloufer Hospital, where each year over 10,000 preterm babies are treated, but bow thanks to the new guidelines, babies are screened regularly for ROP. The Countess met mothers and their babies in the Kangaroo Ward in the hospital.
On the third day of her visit, Sophie saw two projects in Mumbai run by Deane and Aditya, two Queen’s Young Leaders, that are transforming women’s health. Deane runs, “Red in the new Green,” which aims to eliminate the embarrassment felt by girls and women about their periods. Her Royal Highness met those who have benefitted from awareness sessions, sanitary projects and eco-friendly disposable solutions. Aditya has set up the app, “Care Mother India,” that helps mothers monitor their pregnancies, and Sophie met those who have benefitted from the app. The app enabled health workers to provide checks in areas where resources are limited.
The Countess also saw the benefit of the instilled value of education and positive social change through sports when visiting the Sassoon Dock fish market and the Ambedkar Nagar Community, seeing the work of the OSCAR Foundation to support young people to become role models, who are from disadvantaged communities.
On her fourth day, the Countess of Wessex went to New Delhi, to the United Services Institution of India. She joined a roundtable discussion on Women, Peace and Security and addressing gender based violence in conflict. Earlier this year, on International Women’s Day, the Countess pledged her her support of omen, Peace and Security agenda (WPS) and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), and to championing the UK’s efforts in these areas. The Countess touched upon her experience of the Status of Women in New York, whilst at the UN commission, and learnt about India’s engagement in this area.
I think the Countess of Wessex is an excellent role model for women in the way she quietly goes about her work. She is confident, graceful, and good at communicating with others. She is one of the royal family’s unsung heroes. She has shown in this trip to India that she is persistent and dedicated to her patronages and causes that she supports. Blindness in babies is one of those, especially as her own daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, was born with an eye-related health problem. She suffered from esotropia, a condition that turns the eyes outwards, and underwent her first surgery at just 18 months old. Therefore the Countess is truly able to empathise with the parents she meets. She does not put a foot wrong but is a dedicated, reliable, stable member of the royal family. This trip proves that she just cares about the causes she is promoting and encouraging, not herself.
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