After a carefree, romantic summer – during which she cemented her blossoming romance with Henry Beckwith – Geri Halliwell headed to Nepal where she turned her attention to some weighty issues.
The Former Spice Girl was in the country to champion women's rights and maternal health care in her capacity as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Fund for Population Assistance. In the capital Kathmandu, she discussed life-threatening medical conditions caused by childbirth and encouraged the nation's men to get behind her Girl Power initiative.
"When we empower women and take care of them, everyone benefits," she said. Clad in a traditional sari, the 37-year-old singer spoke at a conference she attended with Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar. She greeted the audience by doing a namaste - a common greeting in South Asia, which means "I bow to you". The word 'Namaste' is spoken, accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest.
During her four-day trip to the Himalayan kingdom, Geri met with locals in several villages in the south of Nepal. She delighted school children with a visit to Tilaurakot and dropped in on a community health worker in Nigalihawa village.
