For a moment in time likely forever etched in the minds of young Bahamian girls, a world of differences between lifestyles melted as a member of the royal family watched teens in one of the toughest areas of The Bahamas cut a banana tree, bake a pie and make soap from scratch.
The occasion was a visit by HRH Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, to the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls, a facility supervised by the Bahamas Department of Social Services. The royal’s visit to the home away from home was part of a two-day high energy tour, familiarizing themselves with the Governor General’s Youth Award (GGYA) special project operation at the centre, the local operator of what in internationally known as the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. In 2021, the GGYA was able to acquire a grant from the Award Foundation’s Special Project Fund, to provide the programme to five centres in New Providence and Grand Bahama. The Duke and Duchess were keen to experience the Award in action at some of these centres.
