PRINCE Harry and Prince Seeiso will launch the Sentebale Polo Cup at the Apes Hill Polo Club in Barbados on Sunday 31st January.
The Sentebale Polo Cup will raise funds to support more of Lesotho’s vulnerable children. Prince Harry will play for the Sentebale team in the match.
Over 3000 of Lesotho’s orphans, abused, disabled, ill and most vulnerable children have already been helped by Sentebale who have worked with grassroots organisations to provide financial and management support to 25 projects. Building on this achievement, Sentebale aims to do more to relieve the suffering of some of the hundreds of thousands of children orphaned by AIDS in Lesotho.
Prince Harry, Patron of Sentebale says: “Prince Seeiso and I are incredibly proud of what Sentebale has achieved. But HIV and AIDS are killing more people every year, and poverty and drought afflict many more people than we currently are able to help. The situation is critical. It is the children who are suffering the most from this crisis. Without help, the future of this beautiful country and its unique people is very bleak. We believe Sentebale can change this.”
Prince Seeiso, Patron of Sentebale says: “When Prince Harry and I set up Sentebale in memory of our mothers, we committed ourselves to helping the plight of Lesotho’s children. We wanted to create a memorial to their tireless work by helping vulnerable children and those who have suffered from the AIDS crisis. We are committed to reaching more of Lesotho’s children each year, working hand in hand with local partners to deliver care, health and education. Sentebale’s work is just beginning. We hope the Sentebale Polo Cup will help us to reach the thousands more children who need our support.”
Kedge Martin, CEO of Sentebale says “Thousands of children in Lesotho have had their lives devastated by the HIV/Aids epidemic - they have very little chance of a healthy and safe childhood and decent future. The aim of the Sentebale Polo Cup, which we are delighted to be launching at Apes Hill in Barbados, is not only to increase awareness of the plight of these children, but to raise vital funds so Sentebale can increase its help to those most in need and very often forgotten.”
This inaugural event of The Sentebale Polo Cup is being hosted by Sir Charles Williams at Apes Hill Polo Club and its title sponsor is the Barbados Tourism Authority.
Lesotho has the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Of Lesotho’s population of 1.8million, there are an estimated 400,000 orphans with around 3% of the population dying every year, and an average life expectancy of 40 years. The people of Lesotho are fighting for survival against the HIV/AIDS pandemic ravaging the country, extreme poverty and suffering. 100 children lose a parent a day.
Sentebale was founded by its Patrons, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, in 2006 to deliver long term and systematic change to the lives of Lesotho’s orphans and vulnerable children.