Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell to build relief centres with World Central Kitchen

The partnership with chef Jose Andres's NGO will work to support hunger relief

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2020 in London, England. WireImage

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced a new partnership for the Archewell Foundation. The couple's non-profit group is to work with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), a NGO started by celebrity chef Jose Andres.

The WCK works to provide meals to those in need, in the wake of natural disasters. It was launched in 2010, following the catastrophic Haiti earthquake.

The Archewell Foundation will work with the WCK to establish four community relief centres.

"The health of our communities depends on our ability to connect with our shared humanity. When we think about Chef Andres and his incredible team at World Central Kitchen, we're reminded that even during a year of unimaginable hardship, there are so many amazing people willing and working tirelessly to support each other," the couple said in a statement. "World Central Kitchen inspires us through compassion in action."

The community relief centres will be permanent structures that can be opened quickly as service kitchens during emergencies such as natural disasters, and also serve as food distribution hubs, schools and medical clinics.

The first of four centres is slated to open in 2021 on the Caribbean island of Dominica, which was hit by both Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. The second will be built in Puerto Rico, which was also hard hit by the storms.

Since its launch, the WCK has provided meals in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Zambia, Peru, Cuba, Uganda, the Bahamas, Cambodia and the United States. In August, the non-profit was on the ground in Beirut, following the devastating port explosion.

In Lebanon, the WCK Relief Team worked with social entrepreneur and restaurateur Kamal Mouzawak. In the weeks following the disaster, they reported delivering more than 10,000 meals to local hospitals, vulnerable people isolated at home and first responders.

Additional reporting by Reuters