Meghan’s message: education is vital for girls in developing countries

Meghan Markle has spoken about the value of girls’ education during a visit to a university in Fiji.

The Duchess of Sussex championed education for girls as an ambassador for a global charity before she married Prince Harry.

The royal couple are visiting Fiji, where Meghan said: “Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education that they want – but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. 

“And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. 

“Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them.”

More than 60 million girls of primary and lower secondary age are out of school around the world because of conflict, poverty and discrimination.

Often, girls are marginalised and are out of school simply because they are girls and it is not the cultural norm. 

Their chances of getting a quality education are even smaller if they come from a poor family, live in a rural area or have a disability.

Meghan – who is expecting her first child – visited Rwanda in 2016 with World Vision to see clean water projects and to highlight how having toilets can mean the difference between girls dropping out of school or continuing with their education.

“What seems like something to simple to us has really changed the community and these kids’ ability to stay in school and maximise their education and learning,” she said at the time. 

“It’s the little things that have the biggest impact.”

On a separate visit with World Vision to India last year, Meghan went to Delhi and Mumbai and visited projects designed to remove barriers to education for girls.

During her speech at the University of the South Pacifica in Suva, Fiji, she spoke about how scholarships had helped her own university education – along with money from a job on campus.