NEPAL: HILLARY & CHELSEA CLINTON VISIT

(31 Mar 1995) English/Nat

U-S First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is taking her campaign for women and children's rights to yet another South Asian nation: Nepal. This is her third stop on a 12 day tour of the region.

Her daughter, Chelsea, is with her in Kathmandu where they called on the King and Queen of Nepal and the country's prime minister.

They rolled out the red carpet for the U-S first lady. On hand to greet her was Nepal's Queen Aishwarya Shah. Princess Sruti is seen here being introduced to Chelsea, the Clinton's daughter.

Mrs. Clinton and her daughter visited this exhibit of crafts made by poor women who are being helped to turn traditional skills into a source of income.

She seemed delighted with this hand woven shawl.

In fact, she wore it- or one much like it- to this official function later in the day.

This is a country where most women have a tough life and few options.

The literacy rate for women is 18 per cent- it's 52 per cent for men. Women have a life expectancy of only 52 years and give birth to an average of five children.

But most have more then five pregnancies because their babies don't survive. Ten out of every 100 babies die in infancy.

The first lady made it a point to visit women from all walks of life. She "did lunch" with prominent Nepali women and visited a heath care centre run by American women in Kathmandu.

Her visit also included an audience with Nepal's communist prime minister, Man Mohan Adhikari, and with King Birenda, who four years ago yielded to a pro-democracy movement and accepted a constitutional monarchy.

Nepal is the only official Hindu state in world. About 90 per cent of the population are Hindu. Buddhists and Muslims comprise less than 10 per cent.

Nepal's 20 million population is expected to double by the year 2025.

On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton and Chelsea take a day off their
official schedule to relax at an isolated Nepali wildlife retreat.

They travel to Bangladesh on Sunday.

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