Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with Save the Children staff in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, on May 10, the first stop of their three-day stay.

In 2022, Prince Harry and Meghan’s non-profit organization, the Archewell Foundation, donated funds to Save the Children for the humanitarian flood response in Nigeria.

Just two years prior, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked their son Archie’s first birthday by releasing a short film that showed Meghan reading him one of his favorite books, Duck! Rabbit!,

to support Save the Children’s Save With Stories initiative, aimed at helping children hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis.

During their recent visit, Prince Harry and Meghan spoke with Save the Children staff and two of our Youth Ambassadors in Nigeria, Maryam (23) and Purity (19).

The event was facilitated and chaired by Save the Children’s Global Ambassador, Misan Harriman. 

In a statement, Maryam and Purity noted: “It was an immense privilege to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their visit to Abuja – for us and for the children and young people in Nigeria that we represent.

Together, we spoke about our work as Save the Children Youth Ambassadors to ensure that children stay safe, learning and healthy – and the importance of having young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making when those decisions affect our future. We know the scale of the issues children face here – but we will not stop fighting for a Nigeria in which all children go to school, and all have access to life-saving immunizations against disease.

We, Save the Children’s Youth Ambassadors, couldn’t do the work we do without strong partnerships and solidarity, from across the private sector, Governments and local communities, philanthropists and those who – like Prince Harry and Meghan – use their platform to speak out and advocate for change alongside us. We know that, although our lives are very different, we share the unwavering belief that, together, we can build a brighter future.”

Save the Children CEO Gemma Sherrington added, “Child Champions and Youth Ambassadors are the beating heart of our work in Nigeria so for two of them to have this opportunity to speak with Prince Harry and Meghan, and to shine a spotlight on their tireless advocacy to protect the rights of children, is phenomenal.

Children in Nigeria face huge challenges. One in ten dies before they reach the age of five. Three in ten girls are married before the age of 18. Nigeria also has one of the highest rates of ‘zero dose’ children – i.e. those who have yet to receive a single routine vaccination. Save the Children is working with GSK to tackle this issue through new immunization programs, a fund to support local organizations and innovators, and child-led advocacy. We were thrilled to share information about this innovative partnership with Duke and Duchess of Sussex in light of their long-standing interest in vaccine equity.”

As well as developing two new vaccination programs to try and reach zero-dose children, Save the Children has also launched an Immunization Accelerator – a $1 million initiative funded by GSK – which will offer grants of up to $100,000 to local projects in Nigeria and Ethiopia, in the hope that new fast-track, cutting-edge solutions can be discovered to help tackle long-standing barriers which prevent children from receiving vaccinations.

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Source: USA Today