Duchess of Edinburgh Visits Lusaka Jewellers and Artists' Studio

The Duchess of Edinburgh spent the second day of her Zambian tour in Lusaka on Tuesday, visiting a family jewellery business and a studio working with survivors of gender-based violence.

At Jewel of Africa, founded in 1992, the Duchess shaped and polished a quartz gemstone herself and watched the workshop's craftsmen at work. The business sources Zambian stones directly from local mines and has built its model around responsible supply chains and local craftsmanship.

She went on to Imvelo Studios, where she met artists and survivors of gender-based violence using creative work as a route to recovery and independence. Violence against women has been a consistent focus of the Duchess's work internationally. She also met a group of Zambian women in business, who spoke about resilience and about what they hope to pass to the next generation.

The visit is the second day of a five-day programme covering gender equality, climate change and education. Later in the week the Duchess travels to the Lower Zambezi and Livingstone, and will visit a health clinic at Mukuni Village running a trachoma elimination programme with Orbis and Sightsavers. She is expected to meet President Hakainde Hichilema at Community House.

On Monday she attended a reception hosted by Orbis and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, of which she is a global ambassador. It preceded the first Global Summit for Eye Health, held in Antigua in November, working towards ending avoidable sight loss by 2030.