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Prince Harry first came up with the idea for Sentebale in 2004,
when he visited Lesotho as a part of his gap year and was
overwhelmed by the poverty and hardships faced by the children
there. He met with Prince Seeiso, and the two of them decided to
set up this charity to “help the most vulnerable children in
Lesotho get the support they need to lead healthy and productive
lives.” They called it Sentebale, which means ‘forget me not’ in
Sesotho, the native language. The name was chosen as a tribute to
Prince Harry’s late mother Diana, and Prince Seeiso’s mother, who
passed away in 2003.
In 2006, Sentebale became recognised as an official charity. Since
then, it has been working with local organisations to help children
who are victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and are suffering from
extreme poverty. The charity is based in both Lesotho and
London.
“In 2004 I was 19 and went travelling in my gap year,” said Prince
Harry about the first time he visited Lesotho. “I had a fantastic
time in Australia, Argentina and Botswana but in the end the thing
that had the greatest impact on me was the two months I spent
working in Lesotho.” Since his first visit, Prince Harry has
visited Lesotho numerous times, most recently in February 2013.
The 10th birthday celebrations will include drinks and dinner for
the guests, followed by an awards ceremony to honour those who have
worked closely with the charity over the past decade and played a
part in its success. The event will feature performances by The
Bodyguard star Beverly Knight and Troy the magician from
Channel 4. Also performing will be the award winning singer
Joss Stone, who has visited Sentebale in the past to see the work
done by the charity and to raise awareness about its cause.
The event can be followed on Twitter using #SentebaleParty
Photo credit: UK in Brazil via photopin
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