Meghan Markle did more in Canada than just taking in all the puck-dropping action at the Canucks-Sharks hockey game on Monday night: On Tuesday, she met with a local nonprofit group, Justice for Girls, that helps teenage girls whose lives are impacted by poverty.
It was her second time visiting the group, following up on a 2020 meeting at the same office.
Zoë Craig-Sparrow, the organization’s director of indigenous rights and environmental justice, told Vanity Fair in an email that “as a fellow feminist and supporter of our work, we’ve been honored to keep in touch with the Duchess since our last visit.”
Courtesy of Justice for Girls.
Markle sat down with leadership from the organization, as well as two teenaged interns who have benefited from the group’s work, to discuss past achievements of the organization, as well as what’s left to be done to help young women in Canada.
“The Duchess is committed to advancing girls’ rights and equality,” Craig-Sparrow said. “It was an exciting, engaging, and heartfelt discussion. We discussed the resiliency of girls as well as the resiliency required to do this work, and celebrated the achievements and stories of the women and girls at the table.”
Courtesy of Justice for Girls.
Visits from high-profile supporters like Markle help increase visibility and awareness of groups like Justice for Girls and the work they do to fight negative impacts of poverty.
“The work we do is not easy, and sometimes we forget to celebrate our accomplishments, and the exceptional achievements of the girls and young women who work with us,” Craig-Sparrow said. “These moments are important to our collective resiliency and the sustainability of our work.”
Markle has long partnered with groups that focus on women’s needs. In September, on her way out of Germany after the closing of the Invictus Games, Markle stopped in at a cafe whose profits go to helping unhoused women and teens. Markle’s Canadian jaunt with husband Prince Harry comes ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games, which will take place in Vancouver.
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