{"id":25815,"date":"2020-04-09T13:22:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/?p=25815"},"modified":"2020-11-22T21:45:46","modified_gmt":"2020-11-22T20:45:46","slug":"the-monaco-princess-who-holds-south-africa-dear-to-her-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2020\/04\/the-monaco-princess-who-holds-south-africa-dear-to-her-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"The Monaco Princess who holds South Africa dear to her heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today she is known to us as Princess Charlene of Monaco married to Prince Albert II of Monaco. She was born in\u00a0Bulawayo,\u00a0Rhodesia\u00a0(today\u00a0Zimbabwe), but her family relocated to South Africa in 1989. We see her as a devoted mother, humanitarian figure, fashion icon and a beloved Princess. We also know that she is very humble and tends to shy away, without revealing too much of her private life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What draws our attention is how much she has given back to her adopted country which she calls home, by taking her biggest fear: fear of drowning as she mentioned during her interview with Radio Vatican<\/a>. And by turning this fear into something great, making it her duty, to teach, show, educate and save lives. Therefore the birth of her foundation \u2013 the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation<\/a> \u2013 launched on 14 December 2012, to make us aware of the dangers of drowning. Every minute a child drowns worldwide, it is the third largest cause of unintentional injury and death in the world.<\/p>\n

The mission of the foundation is to be able to give the necessary tools for kids to feel safe in their aquatic environment, teach them how to swim and provides C.P.R. programmes to children. To educate communities, make them be alert and raise public awareness. Since its creation to the end of 2019, close to 730,000 people, mostly children, benefited<\/a> from the foundation’s “Learn to Swim”, “Water Safety” and “Sport & Education” programmes in 34 countries.<\/p>\n

Supporting children in South Africa\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The foundation supports the Gugulesiwe Primary School in Daveyton, Benoni. A school from her hometown, which the foundation helps with its educational development and progress. She even visited the primary school with her two children, Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques. They spent the day bonding with the school community, planting trees in a garden named after her. South Africans call her “our Princess” because she has not forgotten her roots and the “fundamentals” that makes her a “South African”. \u201cI have taken a personal interest in the school and I will support and do my best to make sure that the leaners at the school are exposed to great sports, health and safety, so that they can build a great community around them,\u201d she said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t