[Monaco] Princess Charlene receives award "Ein Herz Fur Kinder" for her humanitarian work

[VIDEO] Crown Princess and Princess of Denmark unite with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to raise awareness on plight of children in East Africa

Giving their admirers a treat, two of the most charismatic ladies on the royal scene met this week.

Mary of Denmark welcomed royal rookie, the Duchess of Cambridge to Copenhagen. (...)

But it wasn't a social occasion – the elegant pair have joined forces to help crisis-hit African children.

The duo – joined by their husbands Prince William and Crown Prince Frederik – toured UNICEF's global crisis center in the Danish capital.

After attending a briefing, the royal visitors were due to roll up their sleeves and pack emergency medical kits, which are being sent to malnourished children in East Africa.

During a talk on nutrition, the couple were offered a taste of a special high-protein peanut paste being included in the packages.

William scooped up some of the paste with his finger before passing it on to his wife, who declined the offer to taste it.

Kate looked elegant in a long red coat for the occasion while Mary stepped out in a navy blazer.

Helping Africa is a cause close to both Mary and Kate's hearts.

Denmark's future queen visited Kenya recently on an emotional mission to a refugee camp housing women and children fleeing the famine in conflict-ridden Somalia.

And the Duchess and her husband have a long-standing affection for the part of the world. It was in Kenya where they became engaged just over a year ago.

William said the crisis had been going on for 100 days and with the rains about to come, disease would become a huge issue.

He said that despite the financial troubles going on around the world what was happening in east Africa would really "put everything into perspective".

His wife added that she'd been "shocked" by the scale of the disaster. "Hopefully this (visit) will put the light back on this terrible crisis," she said.

video by Unicef (youtube)

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to help, go to eastafricacrisis.org

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visits mothers and children in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya

The world has been moved by the harrowing pictures of the Somalian families left homeless and hungry by the country's civil war. Princess Mary felt compelled to help.

The popular Danish royal travelled to Africa on an awareness-raising mission.

Mary visited Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya – which hosts people that have fled various conflicts in East Africa, including the civil war in southern Somalia.

The Tasmanian-born royal met with mothers of malnourished children to hear their stories.

A mum-of-four herself, Mary could no doubt empathise with their wishes to do their best for their children.

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Infanta Elena of Spain reaches out to help Colombians in need after floods

King Juan Carlos I's older daughter, Infanta Elena traveled last week to Colombia. She presented a donation of $200,000 (more than 140,000 euros) for victims of terrible floods due to heavy rain in the country and visited a home for children with cancer during her trip to Bogota as a Director of Social and Cultural Projects MAPFRE Foundation.

The Infanta, the MAPFRE Foundation and the Spanish royal family could not forget to reach out to Colombia in these difficult times. The Duchess of Lugo arrived at the capital, Bogota, last May 12th as with Fernando Garrido, director of the Institute of Social Action, to bring hope to the Latin American country. There have been rumours in the Iberian country that Elena and Fernando have been dating for a little while.

Infanta Elena did a lot during her small trip: she paid a visit to the Dharma Foundation - hey... did you just think about the series Lost here? - a home for children with cancer, had a meeting with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos and his wife, María Clemencia Rodríguez, at the Palacio de Nariño. The princess gave the Colombian president, in the presence of First Lady, a donation of $ 200,000 (about 140,000 euros) under the Humanitarian Colombia campaign, which aims to raise funds for victims of the floods.

Upon receipt of resources, María Clemencia appreciated the support that the Infanta has always provided the country, especially in difficult times that Colombia has faced as a result of climate change. "Doña Elena, once again, thank you very much. Thank you very much because we feel your continuing solidarity in difficult times in Colombia, "said the wife of President Santos.

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[Jordan] King Abdullah II and Queen Rania receive UNICEF Executive Director

His Majesty King Abdullah II on Thursday met with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. The King expressed appreciation of programs being implemented by the UN organization in Jordan and which promote services provided to children as well as the Kingdom's plans and programs in this area.

At the meeting, which was attended by Royal Court Chief Khaled Karaki, Lake hailed efforts made by Jordan to help underprivileged children, adding such efforts will enable more children to receive education and health services. UNICEF has made many accomplishments in the Kingdom in cooperation with concerned authorities such as reducing violence at schools and approving a national strategy to fight violence against children and translate it into administrative policies.

Also on Thursday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with Lake. The meeting focused on the important role that Her Majesty plays in her capacity as a UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children.

Lake briefed the Queen on UNICEF’s latest programs and progress achieved in providing care to women and children locally and in the region, and in raising awareness about their rights.

"As UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate, Her Majesty has made education, especially for girls, her top priority both in Jordan and around the world," said Lake. "Her Majesty’s unwavering efforts have drawn new global attention to the rights and well-being of children, and UNICEF is deeply grateful for her commitment." The meeting, which was also attended by Shahida Azfar, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa and Dominique Hyde, UNICEF’s Representative in Jordan, included a discussion on the progress achieved on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Jordan.

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[The Netherlands] [VIDEO] The very inspirational life speech of Princess Mabel at The Elders (2009)

Dutch Princess Mabel van Oranje is the Chief Executive Officer of The Elders. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. You can follow her interesting work on twitter.

This is a very inspirational and passionate speech. I think I will surely use it in my personal life.

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway calls to action during the Mali Youth Summit on HIV

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway travelled to Bamako, Mali to participate in the Youth Summit on HIV, an event convened under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, and co-hosted by UNAIDS.

HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway addressed an audience of more than 150 young leaders at the youth summit. Speaking at a session on transformative social movements, the Crown Princess highlighted the opportunities offered by the social media tools to empower young people in new areas of advocacy.

“Young people must be mobilized to respond to deeply entrenched stigma and discrimination and a growing conservative backlash which threatens their access to sexual and reproductive health services, sexuality education, sexual expression, harm reduction and safety as human rights defenders,” said HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

She encouraged young people to learn from different social movements to engage others in the AIDS response. The Crown Princess emphasized that it is the young who are sitting with the solutions and must have the opportunity to be heard.

“My message to you is: when you experience, lack of core funding, lack of data on young people, lack of personal rights or lack of access to treatment, use your courage, use your ideas and start your own social movements,” said the Crown Princess. “Use your networks to create a momentum so that our leaders can't afford not to listen. Make them so powerful that world leaders cannot neglect them.”

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