Harry and Meghan have announced the opening of a third relief centre in India on their third wedding anniversary.
The Sussexes’ non-profit Archewell Foundation will set up the centre in Mumbai in a bid to support local communities through the country’s devastating Covid-19 crisis.
In a statement posted on the foundation’s website today, the couple said they hope the project, launched alongside World Central Kitchen, will ‘provide relief and resilience’ for those in need.
‘Right now, Covid-19 cases are spiking across the entire country of India,’ the statement continued.
‘Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, millions have been infected, and there is widespread concern that the crisis is even worse than reported.’
The statement added: ‘The purpose of these centres is to provide relief and resilience (as well as healing and strength) for the communities in which they’re based.
‘During future crises, these centres can be quickly activated as emergency response kitchens – or vaccination sites – and through calmer times they can serve as food distribution hubs, schools, clinics, or community gathering spaces for families.’
World Central Kitchen is currently serving around 20,000 fresh meals a day to frontline healthcare staff working around the clock caring for patients across India, which is grappling with the worst Covid crisis in the world.
The announcement comes as India yesterday reported more Covid-19 deaths in a single day than any other country during the pandemic, with a record 4,529 fatalities.
It also reported 267,334 new infections, as daily cases remained below 300,000 for the third consecutive day – but it is thought that these figures are much lower than the true number.
The couple’s latest relief centre marks the third in a series of four set up by Archewell and World Central Kitchen, following projects in Dominica and Puerto Rico.
Mumbai is also home to Myna Mahila, an Indian NGO supporting working women living in the city’s slums and aims to break the stigma around menstrual hygiene, which Meghan has long-supported after visiting in 2017.
The foundation was one of seven chosen by Harry and Meghan to receive wedding donations from well-wishers ahead of their ‘fairytale’ ceremony in 2018.
The announcement came three years to the day since the couple tied the knot at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Harry and Meghan, who are expected to mark their anniversary from their Los Angeles home, are expecting their second child in just weeks.
The couple are expecting a younger sister for first-born Archie sometime in the summer.
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