Sentebale

Sentebale is a registered charity.

The charity was founded in 2006 by Prince Harry of the British Royal Family and Prince Seeiso of the Lesotho Royal Family. Prince Harry met Prince Seeiso on his gap year in Lesotho and was moved to help vulnerable children and young people in the country. After ten years working in Lesotho, in November 2016, the charity launched operations in Botswana.

Sentebale means 'Forget me not' in Sesotho and the name was chosen "as a memorial to the charity work of our own mothers, as well as a reminder to us all not to forget Lesotho or its children." (Prince Harry speaking at the Concert for Diana).

Lesotho has the 2nd highest rate of HIV in the world and there are over 37,000 children under 14 living with HIV. The country has 360,000 orphans and around 10% of all children are vulnerable.

Sentebale aims to combat these issues and works with vulnerable children and their communities, empowering them to reach their full potential. The charity is focused on community-led development which matches actual need.

Lesotho was 160/187 countries in the Human Development Index and described as having “low human development”. 43.2% of the population are living below the national poverty line. The country also came 108/187 for gender equality. Importantly, gender inequality in Lesotho does not follow the pattern of the majority of Sub-Saharan Africa. For example, males have lower literacy rates, and school attendance and completion rates. This is due in part to the traditional role of males in Basotho society. They are expected to spend their time herding . This severely limits their access to education.

Lesotho has a population of just 1.8 million, yet it is estimated there are at least 360,000 orphans, and 13% of all children are vulnerable; their rights to survival and development are not being met. Life expectancy is on average just 41.2 years.

The country has the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Knowledge about HIV prevention is also low. The two most common misconceptions on HIV/AIDS in Lesotho are that a person can become infected through mosquito bites or sharing food. Someone who has comprehensive knowledge of HIV is defined as someone who will "in response to a prompted question, agree that people can reduce their chances of getting the AIDS virus by having sex with only one uninfected, faithful partner and by using condoms consistently; know that a healthy-looking person can have the AIDS virus; and know that HIV cannot be transmitted by mosquito bites or by sharing food with a person who has AIDS." In Lesotho, only 38% of women and 29% of men age 15-49 have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Among youth, this figure is 39% for women and 29% for men.

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