On their first visit to the most populous country in Africa, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan began their journey on Friday by attending an inaugural mental health conference at a school in Abuja, Nigeria, that is run by a local non-profit connected to their foundation.
The Chief of Defense Staff invited the couple to visit Nigeria.
A non-profit organization called Lightway Academy, which receives funding from their Archewell Foundation, greeted Harry and Meghan with tremendous applause and singers and dancers serenading them.
It was also time to discuss mental health, which is deeply stigmatized in Nigeria’s conservative society.
“It’s unseen, which makes too many people reluctant to discuss it. It’s an invisible thing that exists only in our minds. It’s not the same as having a broken wrist or leg, Harry remarked.
“There is mental wellness for everyone in this room, regardless of age. Thus, to be able to care for others, you must take care of yourself,” Harry stated, emphasizing that “there is no guilt” in doing so.
Laptops 1000Meghan encouraged the students to not suffer in silence and expressed how honored they were to be visiting Nigeria for the first time.
“Just make sure that you are taking care of yourselves and that begins with your mental health by really talking about whatever’s coming up for you,” she stated.
The pair also went to a kindergarten class, where Meghan presented her husband Archie to the eldest student, who was five years old. Last week was his fifth birthday.
