Harry and Meghan match fans’ donations to mark their birthdays
On Prince Harry’s birthday, September 15th, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a gift of $130,000 to CAMFED. They decided to match the extraordinary fundraising efforts of the global “Sussex Squad,” who had launched a higher education scholarships fundraiser for CAMFED on Meghan’s birthday, August 4th, raising $129,926. The couple sent the following message to supporters:
No better way to celebrate what really matters. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Harry and Meghan
By 8:00pm Central Africa Time on September 15th, supporters from around the world had raised enough to invest in just over 56 young women to complete 1 year of technical or vocational training in a field of their choice — from engineering to journalism, teaching to agriculture.
Then, at 8:30pm, came the thrilling news that Harry and Meghan would match this outpouring of support with their own donation. It means that 113 young women will be able to pursue higher education opportunities.
These young women will gain the skills they need to get a job or start a business, build independent lives with choice and agency, and work together to support the next generation of girls in rural Africa.
Prince Harry with CAMFED Association leaders in Malawi.
We are absolutely thrilled that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen to make this inspiring match on Prince Harry’s birthday, acknowledging the power of community in rallying support for girls’ education and women’s leadership. Both Harry and Meghan believe deeply in delivering social justice, and have used their platforms, including as President and Vice President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, to ensure young women from disadvantaged backgrounds are seen and heard on the global stage, and their leadership acknowledged and nurtured. In these difficult times, seeing individuals, champions and partners rally around CAMFED’s model makes us even more determined to ensure that all girls can go to school, learn, thrive and lead.
Angeline Murimirwa and Lucy Lake, CAMFED Co-Executives
Fatima, a CAMFED Association leader who met with Prince Harry at events organized by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust in Lusaka, Zambia, and Lilongwe, Malawi, recorded this special message for his birthday. She is training to be a teacher and is just one example among thousands of what young women can achieve with support beyond secondary school.
Both The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met with CAMFED’s young women leaders, in Zambia and Malawi respectively. During the fundraiser, Tisiyenji from Zambia and Fatima from Malawi shared leadership updates and birthday messages with Harry and Meghan.
Learn more about how this fundraiser will transform lives
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