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The Duchess of Sussex has revealed the 15 ‘inspiring’ charities which her SussexRoyal Instagram account will follow as she continues to bang the drum for grassroots campaigners.
Earlier this month, Meghan and Harry asked their 9.3million-strong following to nominate ‘forces for change’ worthy of being recognised on social media by the Royals.
It follows the Duchess of Sussex’s guest editorship of Vogue magazine in which she showcased ordinary members of the public who contribute to noble causes.
Mental health charities, bee conservation projects and third-world outreach programmes are among the groups which have today been handpicked from a pool of public nominees.
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed the 15 ‘inspiring’ people which her SussexRoyal Instagram account will follow as she continues to bang the drum for extraordinary grassroots campaigners
By giving these accounts the Royal stamp of approval, it is hoped that the profile of these campaigners will swell substantially.
Today, the SussexRoyal account posted: ‘These accounts showcase those persevering at the grassroots level, connecting our global community through a shared lens of giving back and helping one another.
‘We were so happy to learn about them and are now able to share them with you.’
Six months after the Duchess famously wrote sex workers messages of support on bananas, she has now chosen to champion a Kenyan school for girls who have experienced sexual abuse.
Meghan recently penned an article in Vogue explaining why she chose to champion the charity Smart Works
The Rafiki Mwema campus in Nakuru aims to help their ‘understand their frightening experience and allow them to know that they are not to blame’.
Australian blogger and TV personality Constance Hall is a vocal supporter of the charity.
The charity replied to the SussexRoyal post and wrote: ‘We are actually in complete shock that you have chosen us!
‘Thank you for using your platform for good!’
And just days after the Sussexes announced that they will not have any more than two children to reduce the ecological burden on the planet, they have selected an environmental group to follow on Instagram.
Earth Day Network – which claims to be ‘building the word’s largest environmental movement’ – is the campaign group behind the widely-held Earth Day rallies which this year saw eco-activists demonstrate across the globe.
Showcasing the accounts this morning, the SussexRoyal account posted: ‘Thank you for being part of this collective conversation with us; we hope everyone has enjoyed discovering many of these accounts and engaging with each other on how we can all be Forces For Change.’
Earlier this month, Meghan and Harry asked their 9.3million-strong following to nominate ‘forces for change’ worthy of being recognised on social media by the Royals
It follows the Duchess of Sussex’s guest editorship of Vogue magazine in which she showcased ordinary members of the public who contribute to noble causes
Following the announcement of their successful nomination, Art Of Hope – a refugee mental health charity – expressed their gratitude for the recognition.
They wrote: ‘We are so honored to be featured. Thank you to the entire Royal Family for their support toward mental health.’
Australian mental health charity Beyond Blue – one of the Sussexes’ new followed accounts – has not immediately followed Harry and Meghan back.
Of the 15 accounts, only two appear to be based in the UK while four are headquarted in the United States.
It comes after Meghan’s decision only to include five British ‘trailblazers’ for her Vogue cover sparked a backlash in the UK.
And following the Sussexes appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassadors, only seven of the organisations are from the group of nations.
Last month, Harry and Meghan followed organisations and members of the public who made a contribution to environmental awareness.
June focused on Pride and May saw SussexRoyal follow mental health charities.
Who are Meghan’s chosen Instagram accounts? The 15 charities from around the world the Sussexes are now following
1. Rafiki Mwema – Kenya
This school based in Nakuru, north west of the capital Nairobi, is a sanctuary for girls who have experienced horrific sexual abuse.
In its mission statement, the charity aims to help young victims get to grips with their trauma and impress on them that they are not to blame.
Funding goes to towards medical supplies, legal assistance, education and therapy so that the girls can recover from their abusive pasts.
On its website, the charity lists the heartbreaking backstories of its girls to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation in Kenya
On its website, the charity lists the heartbreaking backstories of its girls to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation in Kenya.
One reads: ‘She has been prostituted since the age of 2 and has been at Rafiki Mwema for around a year.
‘She has complex needs and has learning difficulties. She has no understanding of personal danger and believes that it is her ‘job’ to have sex with any man.’
The school has previously been championed by popular Australian blogger Constance Hall.
2. Beyond Blue – Australia
This Australian-based organisation seeks to promote good mental health to reduce the population’s anxiety, depression and suicide rates.
Wedding together a ‘community heart’ and a ‘business head’, it campaigns to educate people in all states about mental health issues and eradicate the stigma surrounding the illness.
Of its core activities is to send experts into inner cities with high mental illness rates and establish programmes to improve their wellbeing.
3. Art Of Hope – Syria
This charity aims to provide trauma relief to child refugees in war-torn Syria and surrounding host countries.
It does this through so-called art therapy and vocational training which are led by local psychologists and teachers.
Art Of Hope aims to provide trauma relief to child refugees in war-torn Syria and surrounding host countries
These learning-centred activities are put on for the children who have little security and almost no education resources.
The organisation was founded by former CNN journalist Tara Kangarlou who has reported from war zones.
4. Lion Guardians – Kenya
Founded in 2007, Lions Guardian seeks to conserve the dwindling wild lion population across the African continent.
This particularly focuses on finding innovative ways for the big cats to co-exist with humans.
The organisation recruits young local who are then trained to mitigate future conflicts between humans and wildlife.
Lions Guardians is based in several African countries but has a core site in the sprawling Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem in Kenya.
5. Love The Oceans – Mozambique
This non-profit exists to conserve marine life in the west African nation’s coastal Guinjata Bay.
It is currently fundraising to build a Marine Protected Area for the Inhambance Province in Mozambique which would protect endangered species in the region.
Although the waters off Guinjata Bay are brimming with sea creatures, major in-depth studies of the population have been lacking.
Love The Oceans aims to recruit biologists to study the network of sharks, rays and whales which inhabit these waters.
This non-profit exists to conserve marine life in the west African nation’s coastal Guinjata Bay
6. Global Wellness Day – Turkey
The efforts of this campaign group culminates in a single day event which seeks to promote healthy living.
First celebrated in 2012 in Turkey, the organisation claims to have expanded into 150 countries.
This year, a reported 7,000 global wellbeing-focused events were held, ranging from marathons, to zumba classes to treating ill children at the Thailand-Burma border.
The efforts of this campaign group culminates in a single day event which seeks to promote healthy living
7. Earth Day Network – US
Like Global Wellness Day, this environmental group rallies its eco-activists to turn out on specific day to call for action on climate change.
Last April’s event marked the 49th Earth Day and the group now claims to mobilise 200million people in 190 countries annually.
The Earth Day Network takes credit for sparking the ecological campaign movement which is currently spreading across the globe and recruits activists through education and public policy initiatives.
Last April’s event marked the 49th Earth Day and the group now claims to mobilise 200million people in 190 countries annually
8. Tiny Tickers – UK
A medical charity which the mission of improving detection and treatment for babies with serious heart problems.
The organisation is fundraising to training more sonographers specialised in ultrasound scans and to lobby the NHS for improved standards of care.
This year, they are running training events throughout the North West, Yorkshire, Scotland and the North East regions to equip more medics with the skills to detect prenatal heart conditions within babies.
A medical charity which the mission of improving detection and treatment for babies with serious heart problems
9. Plan – UK
This sponsor-a-child initiative couples up donors with impoverished youngsters facing violence and discrimination, often in third-world countries.
Some 85,000 children have been sponsored through the organisation, which was first founded in 1937.
Plan UK claims that 80 per cent of funds donated to the charity goes directly towards helping the children.
This sponsor-a-child initiative couples up donors with impoverished youngsters facing violence and discrimination, often in third-world countries
10. Pawsitive – US
This innovative project pairs inmates in California prisons with rescue dogs in need of shelter.
It aims to provide rehabilitation for both the canines and the convicts who are tasked with looking after the animals for 14 weeks.
During this time, the prisoners have to complete weekly challenged with their pooches.
Inmates are said to benefit from increased self-esteem and a willingness and ability to cooperate and engage positively in team-settings.
The Pawsitive Change Program pairs inmates in California prisons with rescue dogs in need of shelter
11. Children International – US
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, this charity aims to break the cycle of child poverty through its 70 community centres where youngsters enjoy medics, libraries and playgrounds.
Like Plan, Children International encourages people to sponsor a child for $36 a month which is put towards job training, medical care and education.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, this charity aims to break the cycle of child poverty through its 70 community centres where youngsters enjoy medics, libraries and playgrounds
12. Free Wheelchair Mission – US
A non-profit that designs and manufactures durable wheelchairs for individuals living with a disability in under-resourced nations.
It claims to have distributed more than one million wheelchairs to individuals in need in 93 countries around the world.
It says this provides ‘renewed dignity, independence, and hope through the gift of mobility, at no cost to the recipient’.
A non-profit that designs and manufactures durable wheelchairs for individuals living with a disability in under-resourced nations
13. Beescause – Canada
Concerned by the under-threat global bee population, this campaign group raises funds to build beehives and employ keepers.
Sales of a ‘Beescause bracelet’ are put towards bolstering the number of the world’s bees by raising new colonies.
Founded only last year in Canada, Beescause ‘was formed to help reshape the future of the planets bee situation.
‘We believe with action, awareness and education we can help empower people to make positive changes in the world.’
Concerned by the under-threat global bee population, this campaign group raises funds to build beehives and employ keepers
14. Waves For Change – South Africa
This charity aims to improve young people’s mental health through the sport of surfing.
It was founded by a university student alarmed at how exposure to violence and stress means many South Africans suffer from acute emotional and psychological stress
The organisation claims: ‘Early surfing sessions showed that participants noted improved feelings of belonging, strength, trust and confidence – key pillars of wellbeing.’
Waves For Change aims to improve young people’s mental health through the sport of surfing
15. Blink Now – Nepal
A non-profit foundation serving a community in Surkhet, Nepal. It’s mission is ‘changing the world by empowering Nepal’s children.
‘We do this by providing quality education, a safe environment, and through inspiring others.’
Blink Now runs a children’s home for over 40 impoverished youngsters and school 350 students in the community.
A non-profit foundation serving a community in Surkhet, Nepal. It’s mission is ‘changing the world by empowering Nepal’s children
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