#AfricaFirstLadiesAccomplishments: The beautiful Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
African first ladies are hard to read being minimally involved in politics with an exception of a few. However, their actions transcend their publicity, African ladies have championed programs are transforming their societies.
Morocco’s beautiful first lady, Princess Lalla Salma is a cancer champion. Her royal highness recently opened a Cancer Research Institute (CRI) the first of its kind in the kingdom and Africa. A fete that she can celebrate after running her Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment for over a decade.
The foundations marked its ten years anniversary last year. Princess Salma’s initiative has been dedicated to providing curative measure to cancer patients and also encouraging preventive measures such as screening. This includes offering early diagnosis, access to treatment, research and international cooperation.
Through her efforts in the Foundation 24 early detection centres have been set up, 13 centres more under construction, six mobile units and nine speciality hospitals built and four others in preparation according to Morocco world news.
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco now 37 years, married Kind Mohammed VI in 2001 and was granted the title Princess Lalla. She is the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title. She is the mother of two children. Princess Salma is an engineer by profession and speaks 4 languages Arabic, French, English and Spanish.
Although she maintains a low profile her support for cancer is widely known plus her support for the Fez Sacred Music Festival. Artists of international fame come to display their talents at the Fez music festival and various forms of music like Moroccan Sufi chants, Pakistani qawwali, and Egyptian madhi odes among others are showcased.
Princess Lalla has been awarded with prestigious awards; she was honoured with the most important awards in the Arabic world, the Sharjah Voluntary Work award for her involvement in HIV/AIDs prevention in Africa. Senegal gave her their highest decoration of the Grande Croix de l’Ordre national du mérité, because of her humanitarian work in Morocco and abroad.
The Princess is seen to be more active in public life unlike her predecessors.
