Harry, Meghan educate school kids in Abuja about mental health

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, his wife, are in Nigeria to champion mental health for young people affected by conflicts and to promote the Invictus Games.

The couple arrived in Abuja on Friday morning, and began their day with a tour of Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the capital city.

They were greeted by traditional dancers and met some of the primary schoolchildren.

During their tour, the couple visited a kindergarten class where children aged up to five danced and sang.

The visitors got to their feet and joined the class in singing rhymes such as ‘Jump Up, Turn Around’.

Harry and Meghan delivered their remarks to the students in what appeared to be the launch of a two-day mental health summit.

The duke educated the children about the stigma surrounding mental health and how it is an issue of global concern.

Harry told the kids the message he wanted them to remember was that mental health affects everyone.

“The more you talk about it, the more you can kick it in the long grass,” he said.

“It is okay not to be okay.”

Meghan, on the other hand, encouraged the children to share their stories, saying: “I believe in you”.

Joyce Agbese, Lightway Academy’s school director, said mental health is a topic not often talked about in Nigeria.

Agbese praised Harry for his message to the students, encouraging them to “speak up and speak out, don’t bottle things up”.

“He nailed it. We want to encourage them to speak out, speak up, express their emotions in the right way,” she told BBC.

“When somebody this popular or this famous speaks about mental health it makes people realise that it is normal and so they don’t have to be afraid to talk about it.”

After unveiling the summit, the prince headed to a military rehabilitation centre in Kaduna.

The duke and duchess will also visit Lagos.

Meghan will co-host an event of women in leadership with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The couple’s visit to Nigeria comes after Harry celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday.