Look To The Stars News: Sentebale

Prince Harry In Talks For Charity Concert

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Prince Harry is to join up with British pop princess Natasha Bedingfield for a giant benefit concert to raise funds for their African charities.

The Prince – who established Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children and young people in Lesotho – has met with Bedingfield’s mother, Molly, who runs the international children’s charity, Global Angels. Natasha Bedingfield is an ambassador for the charity, an “International Foundation championing the causes of children around the world and developing creative solutions through the lens of sustainability.”

“There will be a flagship concert in 2010 that will be televised around the world. Molly and Harry have had several meetings about it,” a source told Britain’s Daily Mail.

We’ll bring you more information when it comes to hand.

Prince Harry is Following Princess Diana’s Human Rights Lead

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Prince Harry, a humanist reminiscent of his mother, the late Princess Diana, made it clear that he would like to make a difference as Diana had done in her lifetime.

He’s off to a good start. At the third anniversary of the charity he co-founded with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, who also lost his mother, Harry spoke about poverty, AIDS and their charity.

The Princes’ organisation is called Sentebale, Lesotho for “forget-me-not”, named in memory of their mothers but also for Lesotho AIDS orphans and victims of poverty.

“Lesotho is such a wonderful country and is incredibly close to my heart,” said Harry. “Beautiful as it is though, its people battle devastating problems. Unless we help Lesotho in its struggle to nurture and protect its children and bring them hope for the future, the Basotho – this wonderful people – will be decimated and their society destroyed. It is a stark thing to say, but it is the truth. This may sound a tall order especially for a charity so small, but unless we think big, unless we are ambitious, nothing will change.”

Much media has commented on the Prince’s straight talk, but such frankness is again reminiscent of his mother – Diana shocked many when she held a baby with AIDS, helping to break down fears, stigmas and misinformation about the disease.

Prince Harry Plays Charity Polo In New York

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Aime Pingi

Prince Harry arrived last Friday, May 29th, in the United States of America. For his first journey in New York, Harry chained together visits, inaugurations and matches of polo, and tried to represent to best the British royal family.

Hardly arrived at the Big Apple, Prince Harry – third in the order of succession to the throne – began with a visit to the site of the World Trade Center, destroyed by the events of September 11th, 2001. The Prince then inaugurated with emotion the British Garden of Manhattan – dedicated to 67 British victims of these attacks – by planting symbolically a magnolia within the framework of the campaign of Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, aiming to make the city more green.

Later, Prince Harry – who is presently undertaking a pilot’s training course in the army after having served in the land forces in Afghanistan – was keen to visit a health center for war veterans to speak to them.

On Saturday, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana showed his support for an association helping discriminated young people by attending a class of mathematics of Harlem: "Who is the best in the class? " he said “I was always the worst!”

A royal obstacle race was then organized, featuring Prince Harry and Prince Seesio of Lesotho, both founders of Sentebale, a charity helping the poor children of Africa. Although he came second in that race, Harry was able to catch up a little later during the day, during a match of polo at Governor Island to raise funds for “Sentebale”.

“Prince Seesio and I both lost our mothers when we were very young,” Harry said before the match. “We set up Sentebale in their memory, and because my mother loved this city, it makes this occasion all the more poignant for me.”

The team led by the brother of Prince William competed against that of the Argentine model Nachos Figueras. Celebrities who attended the match included actress Chloë Sevigny, LL Cool J, dressmaker Marc Jacob and Madonna.

Harry’s team, named after the charity, proceeded to defeat the opposing Black Watch team 6-5. Harry assisted on the winning goal in the last seconds, drawing the biggest cheer of the afternoon. It was the second and final day of Harry’s first official visit to the United States.

Not tired for all that, Harry ended his day by a visit to the “Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum of Manhattan,” where he was able to admire the cockpit of the former Concorde of the British company British Airways, as well as air transport dating the Second World War.

Prince Harry To Visit Ground Zero

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British Royal Prince Harry is to visit the site of the World Trade Centre to pay his respects to those who died in the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks and meet wounded US war veterans.

The trip will mark the Prince’s first official visit to the US, and will also see him take part in a charity exhibition polo match at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on New York’s historic Governors Island on May 30, to raise funds for Sentebale, a charity he founded in 2006 with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the orphans of Lesotho. The match will be the first of a series of events on Governors Island that will celebrate the 400th anniversary of New York.

The Prince will meet a group of families who lost loved ones in the September 11 terrorist attacks, and formally name the British Garden at Hanover Square, which commemorates the 67 British people who died in the attacks.

He will also visit the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre in Manhattan, where he will tour the advanced prosthetics facilities and visit a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment clinic. He will be hosted there by a young British serviceman who was wounded in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry To Play Charity Polo In America

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British Royal Prince Harry is to make his first official trip to the US this month, and will take part in a charity polo match while there.

The 24-year-old prince will play a charity exhibition polo match at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on New York’s historic Governors Island on May 30, to raise funds for Sentebale, a charity he founded in 2006 with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the orphans of Lesotho. The match will be the first of a series of events on Governors Island which will celebrate the 400th anniversary of New York.

“We look forward to providing spectators with an afternoon of sport and entertainment surrounded by the magnificent Manhattan skyline,” said Aisha Thompson, Veuve Clicquot Senior Brand Manager. “This year, we are also pleased to be supporting an incredible and inspirational charity, American Friends of Sentebale.”

England’s Daily Mail also reports that “he will make time to visit several charity projects in the area and hopes to fit in a trip to Ground Zero to pay his respects to the victims of 9/11.”

Harry first visited Lesotho in 2004 and was moved by the plight of the young AIDS victims he met. Joining forces with the kingdom’s Prince Seeiso, he set up the charity Sentebale – which means ‘forget me not’ in the local language – in memory of his mother Princess Diana, who was dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS problem in the country.

Royal Princes To Join Bikers In African Trek

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince William and Prince Harry are to take part in a grueling 8-day motorbike trek across South Africa later this month.

The Royals – who own their own motorcycles and have been riding for years on their father's Highgrove estate – will join a group of 80 people in the 2008 Enduro Africa ride, an annual event to raise money for charity.

Each rider in the event has paid US$2,600 to take part, raising a total of US$521,000 for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, UNICEF, and Sentebale.

“The Princes are looking forward to the motorcycle ride that will raise money and the profile of Sentebale, a charity very close to their hearts, and two other major charities in southern Africa,” said a Royal spokesperson.

The 1,500 mile trek takes riders along South Africa’s wild and dramatic east cape, with riders traveling in groups of 10 during the day and camping together at night.

“We’re very honored to have the Princes, especially as they came to us,” said a spokesperson for Enduro Africa. “We’re looking forward to riding with them and, as they are both in the Armed Forces, I’m sure they will have the grit to get through because it’s not easy. There are no road signs and it’s not like riding anywhere in the UK so they will need a guide. They will go through game reserves, tribal areas and wild areas.”

More information about the ride can be found at the Enduro Africa website. Registrations for next year’s ride are now open.

Charity Choices Of The Royal Grandchildren

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth’s first granddaughters, are launching into some of the responsibilities that come with their HRH titles – one of those being charity.

It was recently announced that 19-year-old Beatrice will become the first Junior Ambassador for Children In Crisis. Founded in 1993 by her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, the organization provides education to children of the poorest countries in the belief that it is the essential ingredient in lifting children out of poverty.

Beatrice said, “I always remember the old saying, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. That’s why I am so keen to help this campaign to educate children. We have the most amazing charity.”

She also is interested in Springboard For Children, whose volunteers help kids that have trouble with reading and writing at inner-city schools. Being dyslexic, Beatrice has a personal interest in the struggle.

Her younger sister, Eugenie – now 18 – is looking at Kids Company, which provides support to vulnerable and traumatized inner-city kids with emotional therapy and education, and which her uncle, Prince Charles, is also involved with.

Princes William and Harry, the Queen’s first grandsons, have already garnered quite some experience at fundraising for charities, near and distant. The latest was a charity polo match, held last month as part of William’s 26th birthday celebrations, to benefit The Countryside Foundation For Education – whose outdoor programs educate hundreds of thousands of UK school children each year through farm visits – and the African wildlife protection charity of which William is Royal Patron, Tusk Trust.

Prince Harry, possibly the most eager of the grandchildren, has gone so far as to co-found the Sentebale charity, which benefits underprivileged, disabled and AIDS-orphaned children of Lesotho. Harry not only heavily promotes the endeavor, he dedicates much of his own time and manpower to the charity’s projects.

Prince Harry: My Mother Would Be Proud

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince Harry, currently in the African nation of Lesotho undertaking charity work, has said that his mother would be proud of the work he is doing to revamp a school for disabled children.

The 23-year-old prince is in Lesotho with 26 comrades from the Household Cavalry for the next three weeks, building wheelchair ramps, a new septic tank unit and dining hall at the Thuso e Tla Tsoa Kae Community School.

“I’m out here because I want to be – it’s where I have to be,” said Harry. “I first came out during my gap year and it was love at first sight. It is a wonderful country, in spite of its issues.”

Harry is assisting with projects run by Sentebale, the charity the prince set up in his mother’s memory with Prince Sessio of Lesotho.

“It would be wrong for a patron of a charity to not get involved,” he said. “All the kids are mentally and physically disabled. To expect them to walk up steps like these is madness.”

The new Thuso Community Centre, currently home to a total of 43 children with disabilities, will eventually house up to 80 youngsters, and Sentebale director Harper Brown said that the aim is to turn the town into the country’s teaching and rehabilitation centre for disabled children, many of whom have found themselves orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.

“Everything here is just so positive and fantastic,” said Prince Harry. “This is the only school for mentally handicapped children within Lesotho and once the project is finished, we hope to make another in the centre and one in the south.”

Prince Harry Following Diana’s Path

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:36:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

British Prince Harry, second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, has partnered with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, second son of the late King Letsie III and Queen Mamohato. Together they have created the Sentebale charity to help the most vulnerable orphans in the southern African country. The name means “forget-me-not” in Lesotho, which the Princes found appropriate in every way: forget not the victims of poverty, not the orphans, and not the mothers.

Prince Harry – who claims both Princes’ mothers have been an enormous influence in this endeavor – says, “It’s a way that both me and Prince Seeiso can relate to our mothers, who were both in sort of the same jobs working with orphaned children. Both our mothers were hugely connected with AIDS, especially the orphaned children from that itself. I wanted to carry on as best I could what she started and what better place than to do it than here? I’m sure she knew this place.”

Launched in 2006, Sentebale aims to improve the lives of Lesotho’s needy through grass roots organizations that lack recognition yet can fill the gaps that larger organizations are missing. Support comes in the form of management, infrastructure, entrepreneurial projects and liaising with international grant-makers, NGOs, local service providers and government.

Harry said, “As we traveled round Lesotho we saw the same thing [repeatedly]: great work being done in the community by amazing volunteers who weren’t able to attract support because they didn’t have professional managers or accountants to show where the money was going.”

Some of their completed projects include the building of a child counsel centre, a kitchen in a home for teenage mothers, a computerized Braille machine for blind teenagers, and crop sharing efforts. In a land where children can get raped because traditional healers preach that sex with an innocent girl can cure AIDS, the Princes are looking for ways to increase their impact on the lives of these children.

“Support is desperately needed in Lesotho,” said the Prince. “The statistics tell their own story. There are a minimum of 120,000 orphans and possibly a maximum of 200,000. The life expectancy is 37 years and falling, and the prevalence of HIV and AIDS is at least 30 per cent of the 1.8 million population and it seems to be climbing.”

Around 70 people die in Lesotho from AIDS every day.

Prince Harry To Travel To Africa

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:32:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince Harry is to join the servicemen from his army regiment working in Africa for a charity he set up to help vulnerable children.

The 23-year-old will travel to Lesotho later this year to help build care facilities and repair infrastructure for projects supported by Sentebale, the organization he founded in 2006 to help young people in the struggling nation.

The three week expedition has secured sponsorship from Land Rover to provide transport, and the trip will take the young prince to meet AIDS orphans and TB sufferers. It will be Harry’s first overseas posting since he served on the front line in Afghanistan this year.

The young royal suggested the idea of the trip to his superiors, and he is excited about the prospect. He first visited Lesotho in 2004 and was moved by the plight of the young AIDS victims he met. Joining forces with the kingdom’s Prince Seeiso, he set up the charity Sentebale – which means ‘forget me not’ in the local language – in memory of his mother Princess Diana, who was dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS problem in the country.

Prince Harry To Train With Charity

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:23:33 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Plans have been announced for Prince Harry to undertake special training with an international charity organization based in Britain.

The Prince attended a reception for MapAction, of which he is Royal Patron, at Parliament Square in London on October 10, to celebrate 50 successful missions carried out by the non-Governmental organization.

MapAction, which was founded in 2003, is dedicated to creating maps during natural disasters that highlight the areas where medical attention is needed most. It also pinpoints important logistical and transport facilities, such as working bridges, undamaged roads, and potential landing sites for helicopters. Volunteers in the field update the maps hour-by-hour, enabling aid agencies to do their job of delivering assistance where it can save lives and relieve suffering.

“We are hoping the Prince may be able to deploy with us,” said Roger Wedge, a spokesman for the organization. “There may be some difficulties with that, but we’re training him up.”

Wedge went on to say that Prince Harry will attend a training weekend in the near future, and will be taught the skills required to operate in foreign countries.

“It’s an idea we’d like to think is possible,” said a spokesperson for the Prince. “Harry would love to go.”

The 23 year old Prince became Royal Patron of the charity in April 2007, after becoming extremely interested in the role of MapAction and its work in disaster emergencies. The organization deploys volunteers to disasters all over the world, and has recently operated in the Caribbean during Hurricane Dean, as well as in the September floods in Ghana, which killed 6 people and affected 260,000. They have also completed successful missions during disasters in Kenya, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Suriname, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

As well as MapAction, Prince Harry is also patron of a number of other charities, including WellChild, which provides care and support for sick children and their families, Dolen Cymru, an organization that promotes friendship and understanding between the people of Wales and the people of Lesotho, and Sentebale, a children’s charity set up in 2004 during his visit to Lesotho. By coincidence, Lesotho is also the location of MapAction’s first ever field mission in 2003.

“MapAction’s volunteer ethos and innovative use of new methods and technologies to meet humanitarian needs has caught the Prince’s imagination,” said David Spackman, Director of MapAction. “As a young Army officer, the importance and use of maps will be second nature to him. We hope the Prince’s support will be an asset in raising the charity’s profile.”

Elton John, P. Diddy and Andrew Lloyd-Webber to Celebrate Life of Princess Diana

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:03:21 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

This Sunday, July 1st, music will fill the skies in remembrance of Princess Diana. The event was organised by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry to celebrate her life, ten years after her death.

Concert For Diana will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, and is showcasing a wide variety of musical styles, from Andrew Lloyd-Webber to P. Diddy. Legends Elton John, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones will be joined by the likes of Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and James Morrison.

Many more performances will take place during the 8-hour-long event, including those by Duran Duran, Take That, Lily Allen and the English National Ballet.

Proceeds of the event go to charities which were supported by the Princess, and to charities of which her sons are now Patrons. These include: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Centrepoint, Sentebale, National AIDS Trust, The Leprosy Mission, the Royal Marsden Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital and the English National Ballet.

Tickets cost £45, but those who cannot make it to the concert can view it online at the Concert For Diana website.

2007 Princess Diana Charity Concert Sells Out - For Now

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:24:10 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Earlier this month, Princes William and Harry announced that they would hold a charity concert in 2007 to commemorate what would have been their mother’s 46th birthday. Taking place at London’s famous Wembley football stadium, all available tickets for the concert have now sold out.

Performers including Elton John, singer Joss Stone, Diana’s favourite band Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, the English National Ballet, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams will appear at the event on 1st July.

Speaking for himself and his brother, Prince William said, “We both wanted to put our stamp on it. We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted.”

Proceeds from the concert will benefit a number of charities that received support from the princess during her life, and two of the princes’ own charities, Centrepoint and Sentebale.

Sir Elton John said: "I applaud Princes William and Harry for choosing to honour their mother with this concert. I am absolutely thrilled to be performing at this great event.

“Diana was a personal friend and someone I greatly admired for her tireless and enthusiastic work for charity.”

More tickets for the event are expected to be released in 2007, and will be available from www.concertfordiana.com.

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