‘Women Helping Women’: Meghan Markle's Act Of Kindness In Colombia

Meghan Markle showcased "women helping women" during her Colombia visit by adjusting a fan for panelists, speaking in Spanish, and emphasizing the importance of empowering young girls.

By Shovan Roy

Published on Aug 22, 2024 | 02:42 PM IST | 41.8K

Meghan Markle's Act Of Kindness In Colombia; DEETS

Meghan Markle (PC: YouTube/Netflix)

Meghan Markle, during a recent visit to Colombia with Prince Harry, showed a simple yet powerful example of “women helping women.” The 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex attended a panel on August 18th that highlighted the need for support for Afro-Colombian women.

As the discussion went on, Meghan noticed something out of place. She suddenly got up from her seat and walked across to the side of the stage and adjusted a fan directing it at those who were seated on the panel. The thoughtful gesture was captured in a videotape which shows how Meghan is naturally inclined towards being useful.

Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez standing nearby saw this and started clapping. Other members of the panel laughed and thanked her. After sitting back down, Meghan said in Spanish, “Women helping women.” This one small act emphasized how important it is to make other people comfortable around you. By doing so, she connected it to what she believed that when women are comfortable they give their best output.

"You see something wrong, you go to fix it. Maybe that's just a very female thing — whether it's a fan or something else," said Meghan. Besides, she insisted on women being born with multitasking abilities and being problem solvers naturally. Meghan’s gesture was just but one element of her great involvement in the day’s events.

During her visit there though she did show off her ability to converse in Spanish language as well. Meghan opened by speaking straight into the microphone using Spanish without any help from translation earphones during this part of the conversation. She spoke about how grateful she was for the acceptance shown by Colombians’ warmth as well as their famed culture and antiquity.

She continued conversing in that language while speaking to children at kindergarten about a boy his age whom she mentioned was also three years old like Archie; her son. Meghan also supported Harry by translating his speeches at the Petronio Music Festival in Cali.

Meghan’s involvement on the panel was not limited to her Spanish language skills. Meghan talked earnestly about her commitment to young girls’ voices being heard. Reflecting, she noted how lucky she had been to get voice recognition when she was growing up which is not the case for many young girls and women globally.

"For us and the work that we do with the Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents and that I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard," Meghan shared. She also stressed the importance of bringing up boys who can listen to and respect what is said by young girls.

To end it all, Meghan revealed that her three-year-old daughter Lilibet has started speaking out too. And so when we talk about Archie, having a daughter that just turned 3 years old. “We're so proud of that because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there's a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that's what they're going to do,” she added more.

Having meaningful moments throughout her visit, Markle’s actions and words reinforced her dedication to empowering women as well as promoting equality in society. Her small gestures nonetheless meant something to those around who were close enough to recognize them so much.