Märtha Louise met around 45 street children in the little Santa Cruz park where they sleep rough at night. They lined up in two rows to greet the princess and receive a gift of food and a T-shirt.
"It was quite an experience to meet these children," said Princess Märtha Louise at an improvised press conference afterwards. "I got a shoe brush from one of (them) - it was the only thing he owned," she explained.
"What did the street children tell you," reporters asked.
"That the police hit and chased them. One said he money he managed to earn was stolen by the police. Some of the young mothers there told me how many children they had," she replied.
" Did you feel the situation was tense," one journalist asked.
"I didn't think so, and I didn't feel I was threatened being there," she said. "These are people who have nowhere to live, and who don't know where their next meal is coming from. They don't know what to do, and have no parents," she said. "If they do have a father or a mother, perhaps they're beaten."
When asked how she prepared for meetings like this one, the princess said in these situations she tried not to think too much. She emphasised that meeting the street children was a positive experience.
The ALALAY organisation has been helping Santa Cruz' street children since 1997. The group receives support from the Norwegian international development fund organisation, Strømmestiftelsen.
This was Märtha Louise's first meeting with a Strømmestiftelsen partner during her eight-day visit to Bolivia and Peru.
Aftenposten Interactive English Desk
Liz McNamara
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