Two Malawi youth get Queen’s award

Two Malawian youth have received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award alongside 58 others from Commonwealth countries.

The two, Asante Mzungu and Madalo Banda, received their awards from United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace last Thursday.

A statement made available to Nation Online quoted one of the guests at the occasion, former football star David Beckham, said he was thrilled to be at the ceremony yet again to help Her Majesty the Queen in congratulating a new group of inspiring young leaders.

Beckham said: “I know those who won last year are continuing to build on the opportunities the award has provided them. I look forward to following the progress of the class of 2016 and have no doubt that we will be seeing a lot in this year’s exceptional group of young people as they continue to make lasting change in their communities.”

Prince Harry said the young leaders receiving their awards have already been an inspiration to others and that he hopes the award will inspire them to go out and achieve even greater things.

“The Queen’s Young Leaders Award recognises what you have achieved, not for yourselves, but for your communities, for your peers, and for those less fortunate,” he said.

During their trip to England, the award winners took part in a series of high-level engagements across London and Cambridge, some being meeting senior executives at BBC World News and receiving leadership training at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, which awards those between the ages of 18 and 29, was started in 2014 in honour of the Queen’s 60 years of service to the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.

At least one young person from each Commonwealth country is selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award for the life changing work they are doing in their communities.