Sarah Rosborg was having a perfectly normal Monday evening, until she got a life-changing notification that made everything absolutely not perfectly normal.
Imagine her surprise when all of a sudden, her night was interrupted with news that the charity she co-founded had received a very prominent new follower on Instagram.
The follower you ask? Only Sussex Royal – the official Instagram account of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
In the hours following the surprise notification, it would be safe to say Sarah, who is based in Lennox Head in New South Wales, has been quite busy.
Her charity, Rafiki Mwema, which she co-founded with UK-based friend Anne-Marie Tipper, was one of 15 chosen by the royals to highlight for the month of August.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made a point to only follow limited and specific charities (which change each month) in order to shine a light on their work and bring them exposure to their following of more than nine million people.
For Sarah, whose charity had a following of around 18,000 before the big follow on Monday evening, this notification meant everything.
“I didn’t want to go to sleep, I wanted to keep talking to people,” Sarah explains to Now To Love.
“I’m just so excited that someone will see our amazing children.”
Lennox Head local Sarah Rosborg is over the moon to be recognised by Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
(Supplied)Rafiki Mwema is an incredible charity that was founded by Anne-Marie and Sarah in 2012. It was established to help children who have suffered horrific abuse, often at the hands of those they trust most.
Starting with a therapeutic safe house built in Kenya, the two women have worked tirelessly to ensure that the children staying at the property, which has grown to include several houses and has now been named Doyle Farm, be given all the protection and support possible.
At present, the charity is housing 70 children as young as 18 months old.
They have also helped to re-establish a further 150 children back into their home community via the Rafiki Mwema Outreach Programme.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have chosen to shine a light on Sarah and Anne-Marie’s amazing organisation.
(Getty)The recognition from a global powerhouse like Sussex Royal didn’t come easily.
Harry and Meghan, who usually hand select charities each month themselves based on a theme, decided to switch things up a tad this month, instead putting the ball in the court of their followers to nominate their favourite charities in the comments.
The small charity, of which Sarah completes all the admin from a single computer in her New South Wales home, didn’t exactly have the best chance of standing out against other large-scale global charities.
But when there’s a will, there’s most certainly a way.
Sarah and Anne-Marie put a call-out on the charity’s Instagram account, asking people to tag them in Sussex Royal’s post.
‘We have a great following, they’re all really active and supportive,” Sarah explained.
One of Rafiki Mwema’s ambassadors is the hilarious Aussie comedian and influencer Celeste Barber, who has a whopping five million-strong following on Instagram. Celeste also commented on the post with her support, which boosted the name of the charity in the comments section and drew many more eyes to it.
By Monday evening, it became quite clear the efforts had worked – Sussex Royal officially announced Rafiki Mwema as one of 15 charities being followed by the royals.
In the hours since, the charity’s following has grown by almost 2,000 people and counting.
For Sarah, the exposure and love for her charity means more than she could put into words.
“My love for Rafiki is so big, when you see someone like the royals pick it up, I’m just so excited that people will see our amazing children. So many more people will learn about it.”
She also said the exposure would hugely help the charity’s finances.
“Money is a constant worry, so to not have that pressure and not to worry about that would be so amazing. I’m just so excited and relieved.”
WATCH: Meghan Markle captured in rare footage working with World Vision in India. Story continues after video…
Harry and Meghan’s surprise connection with Rafiki Mwema
In another sweet moment, it has been revealed the charity shares a sweet connection with the royals.
Indeed, one of the children the charity has helped, Peter, has recently stepped into a role Prince Harry would closely relate to.
His story is not a straightforward one. Anne-Marie met him in Kenya 12 years ago when he was living on the streets at age seven.
Anne-Marie took it upon herself to help him and other boys in similar positions in his area.
She said back then, Peter was angry and violent after being “beaten, burnt and badly abused” and thrown out of his home.
“When he came to Rafiki Mwema he wanted to be away from everyone, so he spent a lot of time in the kitchen, which is where he fell in love with cooking – it was all he would talk about and to be a chef became his obsession,” Anne-Marie explained.
Anne-Marie never gave up on Peter, helping him to get a college placement in Kenya, and then taking him under her wing in London where he completed an apprenticeship in a kitchen.
Now, he’s just been offered a position in the kitchens at Sandhurst, where he will be cooking for the Queen’s Army.
An incredible full circle moment for Peter, for Rafiki Mwema and indeed for the royals themselves!
Next up for the charity is a training course in Sydney and the Gold Coast, named Building Attachments and which Anne-Marie, Peter and Sarah will all be hosting.
The workshop will shine a light on the impact of trauma on young children and teenagers, encouraging attendees to gain a better understanding of how to connect with children despite complex and challenging behaviours.
Tickets can be found for the event via this link.
Anne-Marie and Peter will together host a workshop in Sydney and the Gold Coast in September to help people understand the impacts of childhood trauma.
(Supplied)
