On 6 February, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the annual lunch of the board of directors of the ENGIE Foundation as the guest of honour. The Grand Duchess was invited by Isabelle Kocher, the President of the ENFIE Foundation. The Foundation is a partner of the association Stand Speak Rise Up! which was created by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa after the Stand Speak Rise Up! forum in March 2019. The association aims to denounce and stop the use of sexual violence as a war weapon.
During the lunch, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa made a speech in which she talked about the unifying role of the Stand Speak Rise Up! association in denouncing sexual violence in war zones. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also talked about the association’s latest projects. She announced the first concrete project of Stand Speak Rise Up! which is building a house for orphans born of rapes, including a training plan and psychological and social support.
During her speech, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also thanked the companies from Luxembourg who supported the Stand Speak Rise Up! forum in March 2019 and these companies are still a huge support for the association. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also thanked the ENGIE Foundation for their support during the forum and their ongoing support for the projects of the Stand Speak Rise Up! association.
The ENGIE Foundation is the foundation of France’s biggest multinational electric utility company which operates in the fields of energy transition, electricity generation and distribution, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy and petroleum. The Foundation has worked with several years with non-governmental organisations and associations run by women or supporting the cause of women. The Foundation has also been working with Doctor Denis Mukwege – who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in and is a member of the board of directors of the Stand Speak Rise Up! association – to help women survivors of sexual violence through the reengineering of electrical installations at Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This agreement has been signed in March 2019 during the Stand Speak Rise Up! forum.
