It is not often that royalty descends on Liberia, but that is exactly what happened on Thursday, 20 March, when Jordan’s HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and her entourage embarked on a one-day whirlwind tour of parts of Bomi and Montserrado Counties.

In her role as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Princess Haya was visiting various humanitarian projects being supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF in Gbojay Town and Suehn Town. She also made a brief stop at the Jordanian Level III Hospital in Monrovia, touring the facilities and having lunch with the Jordanian Peacekeeping contingent, and met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf before boarding her same-day flight out of the country.

Princess Haya’s trip was meant to raise awareness of the problem of malnutrition in Liberia. While acute malnutrition rates in the country have dropped, the rate of stunting – caused by chronic malnutrition – remains one of the highest in the world at 35 per cent. Malnutrition is also the underlying cause of almost one-third of child-related deaths in Liberia.

Princess Haya visited a WFP-supported community grain reserves project, where women are running rice banks from which households can borrow and pay back depending on harvest levels. She  witnessed a UNICEF-supported screening programme for children at risk of malnutrition. She also visited the Suehn Primary School, which receives WFP-sponsored school meals, and a lowland rice production site that is part of WFP’s Livelihood Asset Promotion initiative.

Jenneh Brown manages the Ballah K. M. Davies Orphanage in Suehn Town, overseeing some 36 children. She was one of the hundreds on hand to welcome Princess Haya at the UNICEF screening event.

“Through her, we are hoping she will take our message around the world, to help us and to help others,” said Brown. “Government funding cannot reach everywhere. We rely on donors like Jordan. So we want to thank her for her country’s support and encourage it.”

In giving Princess Haya a tour of the lowland rice production site, World Food Programme Deputy Country Director Wurie Alghassim highlighted one of the country’s major challenges.

“Liberia, as you know, imports over half its food needs,” said Alghassim. “We felt it was high time to change that balance. Our programmes are all integrated for maximum development efficiency.”

After meeting several beneficiaries in Bomi County, Princess Haya said, “I’ve learned so much being among you. The women that I’ve met here are an example for me and you’ve all given me hope and I will take your messages back to the United Arab Emirates and to Jordan and I’m so proud to be here.”

Princess Haya is the daughter of the late King Hussein bin Talal and Queen Aalia of Jordan, and the wife of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. Much of her work as a UN Messenger of Peace has focused on the rights of children and the underprivileged.