Podcast 81 – VAX Live update / Carlos prowls Meghan Markle's and Prince Harry’s Montecito neighbourhood

Carlos the Assassin has been seen prowling the area close to where Meghan and Harry live. Not convicted murderer Carlos the Jackal but Carlos the Californian black bear and alleged killer of chickens. 

Meghan and Harry participated in the Global Citizen VAX Live Concert to Reunite the World this past weekend. I watched the Live Stream on You Tube along with 10s of thousands of others.  

The music was almost secondary to the video clips and appearances by various heads of states and faith leaders,  urging either the equitable sharing of vaccines around the world, or alternatively asking everyone to get vaccinated.

I hadn’t expected the Pope to make an appearance but there was Pope Francis giving a message pre-recorded at the Vatican. The Pope’s speech was edited down at the live concert, but you can read the whole text on the Vatican website. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-vax-live-concert-coronavirus-healing-videomessage.html

The Pope speech was almost non-religious, more an appeal to our morals and ethics. The Pope said he was adding his voice to what is a growing chorus of voices seeking wider and more equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. Amid the “darkness and uncertainty” brought about by the ongoing pandemic, he said  “we need light and hope." The Pope encouraged everyone not to forget the most vulnerable, saying that  individualism and nationalism  makes us indifferent to sufferings of others. He reminded us that we are all interconnected.

Meghan and Harry fulfilled their roles as campaign chairs of the concert, with both of them giving speeches, Harry’s in person and Meghan by video from a bench (maybe The Bench) in the garden of their Montecito home.

Their respective speeches showed a lot about their personalities.

• Harry’s two speeches had an almost a military tone to them as befitting his past career,
• Meghan’s speech drew on her continuing work for gender equity and speaking as mothers do when concerned for the world that their children will face.  

The morning after the concert Global Citizen were reporting the following. 

·       $302 million pledged by Canada and Croatia, and $2.5 million from the private sector in support of the ACT-Accelerator to ensure the equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments.

·       13.25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses pledged from Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Croatia, and the UAE to share doses regionally, and to vulnerable countries around the world.

·       $39.6 million in commitments pledged by corporate and charitable partners in support of COVAX, the worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. These pledges have been matched in funding to the value of $23.6 million, totaling $63.3 million. This funding alone will help t purchase almost 12.66 million COVID-19 vaccines.

·       Harry and Meghan’s initiative for donations in honour of Archie’s 2nd Birthday to donate to COVAX,  had reached $535,000, which will help purchase 107,000 COVID-19 doses.

Please listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie & check out other stories on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/