Meghan Markle has paid an emotional visit to India as part of her work with charity World Vision, for whom she is an ambassador. The 35-year-old, who is currently dating Prince Harry, headed to Delhi where she learned about various issues affecting women and young girls in slum communities including education and health care.
The Suits star's trip coincides with World Vision's Rise Up! Daughters of India campaign, which aims to raise awareness about gender discrimination, including the problem of 63 million teenage girls who do not have access to proper toilet facilities.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMeghan Markle at a World Vision event last year
"Meghan had been planning this [for the past eight months], compiling her own research and helping set the agenda for the trip," a source told Us Weekly. "She didn't want to be given notes by someone else and just show up. These are important areas of interest for Meghan and cover issues she feels extremely passionate about."
The actress had been enjoying some downtime in recent months, after wrapping up filming the latest season of Suits. As well as spending time with her family, Meghan enjoyed a romantic getaway with Prince Harry, who whisked her away for a few days in Tromsø, Norway.
Meghan first became an ambassador for World Vision early last year, joining a list of previous famous faces including the late Princess Diana. It was already a cause close to the actress' heart, as she revealed she had been aware of the importance of the charity's work for years. "I had been familiar with World Vision from sponsoring a child in Malawi through the organisation over a decade ago," she wrote in a statement on the charity's website. "It's an organisation I respect and that I feel empowered to help effect change with."
Meghan became an ambassador for World Vision in 2016
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The American star also opened up about one of her first projects, admitting she felt "very fortunate" to take on the role. "I was very fortunate to be able to visit with children in a community in Rwanda and teach them how to paint with watercolours," she explained. "It was impactful and beautiful to see them paint their dreams on paper."
