‘I See Myself in All of You’

“It is a complete honor to have our first visit to Nigeria be here with all of you,” Meghan said of her and Prince Harry’s tour of the African country

Meghan Markle had some empowering words to share during day one of her Prince Harry’s visit to Nigeria.

While attending an inaugural mental health summit put on by the GEANCO Foundation at the Lightway Academy in Abuja on May 10, the Duchess of Sussex, addressed young students at the school.

“You know, every single one of you has a story. We all have our story,” Meghan, 42, said during her speech. “And there’s no shame in any single one of your stories. Even on the hardest days or darkest days, everything is a pillar of your strength by each of you being there.”

“Your teachers see that in you. And we see that in you,” she continued, before mentioning her and Harry’s daughter Princess Lilibet, who turns 3 next month. “Interestingly, so does our daughter, Lili; she’s much tinier than you guys, about to turn three. A few weeks ago, she looked at me and saw her reflection in my eyes. She said, ‘Mama, I see me in you.’ Now, she was talking literally, but I held onto those words in a different way. I thought, yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you. But as I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Arrive in Nigeria for First Official Tour Post-Royal Life

The Duchess’ words at the summit were reminiscent of the speech she delivered to local people during her first-ever visit to South Africa back in 2019.

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During the first stop of their royal tour — a visit to Cape Town’s Nyanga township — Meghan proudly spoke about her Black heritage and visiting the country as “your sister.”

“On one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me, I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color, and as your sister,” she said.

“I am here with you, and I am here for you,” she added.

Meghan also encouraged women to fight for “respect, dignity and equality” after watching a self-defense class during the visit.

The Lightway Academy, which is located in the African country’s capital, is a co-educational day school offering nursery, early years, primary, and secondary education.

Meghan then went on to share her pride at being able to visit Nigeria for the first time, calling it “a complete honor.”

“We believe in you. We believe in your futures. We believe in your ability to continue to tell your stories and to just be honest with each other,” she continued, adding, “There is no need to suffer in silence. 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.”

Related: Meghan Markle Has Proud Wife Moment with Prince Harry in Nigeria: ‘You See Why I’m Married to Him?’

During a 2022 episode of her podcast Archetypes, Meghan revealed that she had Nigerian heritage. Speaking with American-Nigerian actor Ziwe, Meghan said she discovered she is “43% Nigerian” after having her genealogy done “a couple of years ago.”

And speaking exclusively to PEOPLE on Friday, Afam Onyema, CEO of GEANCO, said that he reached out to Meghan after hearing the episode.

“I tried to make a connection and make her aware of our work,” he told PEOPLE. “She advanced an interest in getting to know the country and to having to support it. So we said, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing.’ ”

“Obviously Harry’s interest in Africa is longstanding and well deserved. And so it became a really natural partnership,” added Onyema, who has been leading GEANCO for nearly 17 years.

The founder of the foundation went on to note that Meghan is “very interested in Nigeria and learning about it.” “There’s so much to learn and the country is rich and diverse and challenging and crazy, but also deeply inspiring and warm,” he said.

“I would imagine that she’s gonna get a true sense of her roots coming here and be able to really soak that up. We’re just honored to be a part of that. We’re honored to be their first stop on this trip.”

“I think this will give ’em a jolt of energy and inspiration to get through the rest of what I’m sure it’s gonna be a very hectic weekend!” he added.

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