On what was expected to be his final day in the Indian subcontinent, the 31-year-old announced he’s extended his trip by another week to help rebuild a school damaged by the disaster.
Now the young royal has decided to stay an extra six days, where he hopes to continue his efforts to “shine a light on the country’s resilience.”
“The people I have met and the beauty of this country make it very hard to leave. Thankfully however, I’m not leaving just yet,” he said, explaining his plans to spend the next six days working on the earthquake relief project.
“I’m so grateful to have this opportunity at the end of my official tour to do my small bit to help.”
Through a tweet from Kensington Palace, Harry will camp with a group of volunteers in a remote village in central Nepal. There he will aid the Team Rubicon charity.
Captain Wales ended his official tour of Nepal in a way that would have made his mother proud – by visiting the burn unit of a Kanti Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu.
Joking and laughing, with his signature charm in check, the Prince brought smiles to everyone’s face. But the day was bittersweet for Harry, as he learned the magnitude of the devastation caused by earthquakes.
Harry met with the kids at Kanti Children’s Hospital.
Harry met 16 children aged between 11 months and 11 years, many of whom had been injured after being displaced by the earthquake that devastated parts of the country in 2015.
The burns unit, that’s funded by British charity BVS (Burns Violence Survivors), provides free medication, food and money to the children and their parents.
Much to her colleague’s amusement, British charity BVS (Burns Violence Survivors) founder, Wendy Marston, was delighted with Harry helping her out with her gown.
Joined by founder, Wendy Marston, the pair donned blue doctor’s gown to prevent spreading any infection on the ward, as they went to meet some of the young patients.
Many of the little ones at the hospital suffered horrific injuries due to their temporary living conditions as a direct result from the 2015 earthquakes. Following the disaster, many families were forced to cook on open fires, often inside tents.
But it was Harry’s meeting with five-year-old Pemba Sherpa that moved the Prince to tears.
Harry was caught off-guard but Pemba’s bravery.
The brave little boy suffered horrible burns following an incident in January.
His mother, Doma Sherpa, 31, had been trying to keep her house warm with an open fire when she and the children were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I fainted for four hours – I don’t remember anything – and Pemba fell in the fire. I was unconscious so I didn’t wake up, but fortunately my landlord saw through the window and broke down the door,” she recalled to Harry.
Despite loosing so much, the five-year-old still had his cheek and charm.
Due to the poor conditions, little Pemba couldn’t get help for over 18 days and as a result, the five-year-old had to have six of his ten toes amputated and several skin grafts as a result.
Clearly moved by his resilience, Harry quipped, “He’s very brave!” Before questioning, “I assume he can’t walk?”
“Of course he can, nothing will stop him,” one of the doctors exclaimed.
Touched by the visit, Harry hopes to do his part to help those who have suffered from the country’s natural disasters.
Empowering the youth of Nepal was a sentiment Harry carried during another impassioned visit in the developing nation.
The royal passionately voiced his support for the country’s fight against child marriage while opening the Nepal Girl Summit in Kathmandu.
Capturing the audience’s attention, Harry explained how education was the key to breaking the negative cycle of illiteracy, poverty and ill health that is caused by forcing young girls around the world to wed too soon.
Harry still has a lot of work that he wishes to complete before he leaves.
“Here in Nepal, nearly half of all women who are today in their 20s, 30s and 40s were married before their 18th birthdays.”
“And a little under half gave birth while still in their teens,” he said in front of the Nepal Girl Summit, where he was joined by nation’s first female president, Bidya Devi Bhandari, who is known for her work with campaigning for women’s rights.
“It may be obvious to say it, but girls who marry young stay at home. They don’t finish school. And they soon become locked in a cycle of illiteracy, poverty, ill health and, ultimately, powerlessness.”
The 31-year-old was in awe when he met Nepal’s first female president, Bidya Devi Bhandari, who is known for her work with campaigning for women’s rights.
Adding, “How can this cycle be broken? We all know what the answer is – education.”
“I recognise that each country must find its own path; and that here in Nepal, this is a complex social challenge. But the biggest reason for our optimism are the inspiring girls and boys in this room who care so much about changing attitudes towards young women in this country.”
Before he concluded, “I am proud to stand with you today.”
You can watch Harry’s awe-inspiring speech in the video player below
