Sentebale is a registered

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

founded in 2006 by

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. It helps struggling children and adolescents to come to terms with their

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

and

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

diagnosis. The charity also provides a safe environment for them to address their mental health among their peers, giving them tools and knowledge. Prince Harry met Prince Seeiso during his gap year in

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

and was moved to help vulnerable children and young people in the country. Prince Harry explained the meaning behind the charity name during the

Concert for Diana Concert for Diana was a benefit concert held at the then newly built Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 1 July 2007, which would have been her 46th birthday. 31 August that year brought the 10t ...

. "Sentebale" means "forget-me-not" in

Sesotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu languages, Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Ba ...

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

or its children." Lesotho has the second-highest rate of

in the world, with more than 37,000 Basotho children aged under 14 living with HIV. The country has 360,000 orphans. Around 10 per cent of all children in Lesotho are vulnerable. Sentebale aims to combat these issues and to work with vulnerable children and their communities so they can reach their full potential. The charity focuses on community-led development that matches actual needs. After 10 years of operating in Lesotho, in November 2016, the charity launched their new operation in Botswana. The annual Sentebale Polo Cup, in which Prince Harry usually participates, is held to raise money for the charity. In March 2025, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, along with some of the trustees of the charity, resigned from their positions following an internal row with the chair of the board of trustees.

Issues in Lesotho

Development

In 2011, Lesotho placed 160th out of 187 countries in the

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

and was described as having “low human development”. Forty-three (43.2) per cent of the population live below the national poverty line. The country also was 108th out of 187 for

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

. Importantly, gender inequality in Lesotho does not follow the pattern of the majority of

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

. For example, males have lower literacy rates, as well as lower school attendance and completion rates. This situation is due in part to the traditional role of males in

Basotho The Sotho (), also known as the Basotho (), are a Sotho-Tswana ethnic group indigenous to Southern Africa. They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The ancestors of the Sotho people are believed to h ...

society; they are expected to spend their time herding

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

which limits their access to education.

Health

Lesotho has a small population of 1.8 million people, yet it is estimated there are at least 360,000 orphans. 13 per cent of Basotho children are vulnerable; their rights to survival and development are not being met. Life expectancy in Lesotho is 41.2 years. The country has the second-highest rate of HIV/

in the world. Knowledge about HIV prevention is also low. The two most common misconceptions about 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 per cent of women and 29 per cent of men ages 15 to 49 have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Among youth, this figure is 39 percent for women and 29 percent for men.

Staff

The role of Interim Executive Director is now based in Johannesburg with Carmel Gaillard stepping into this role in January 2025. Gaillard brings deep development experience, having held leadership roles with the

Nelson Mandela Children's Fund The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) is a charitable organisation founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22.Johnny Hornby was appointed chairman of the board in March 2018 and remained in that position until his resignation in July 2023, when Dr Sophie Chandauka was appointed to the role.

History

The charity's first accounts, published in March 2008, showed that despite raising more than £1 million in the first 18 months of its operation, just £84,000 was handed over to projects in Lesotho. In the same period, however, Sentebale spent £190,000 on salaries, £86,000 on a website, £26,000 on equipping its office in Maseru, and £47,000 on work done before the charity was formally established. Sentebale's director in Lesotho, Harper Brown, had received a salary and benefits package worth between £90,000 and £100,000 per year. In 2009,

Michael Ashcroft Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, (born 4 March 1946) is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and wa ...

donated £250,000 to Sentebale to remedy financial difficulties at the charity. A new chief executive, Kedge Martin, joined in 2009. Before joining Sentebale, Martin was the CEO of WellChild, a charity that provides care, support, and research to sick children in the UK. The 2010 report and accounts showed £2.089 million had been raised for the charity with £1.334 million being spent on charitable activities. This was an increase in funds raised by 16 percent. 72 percent of expenditure was spent on supporting orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho; 27 percent was spent on fundraising and 1 percent on governance. In 2016, ITV filmed a documentary by Russ Malkin called ''Prince Harry in Africa'' that followed the prince as he visited Lesotho and talked about Sentebale's work. Also in 2016, the charity started work in

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Controversies

In September 2021, it was alleged that

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

's aide

Michael Fawcett Michael David Fawcett (born 6 November 1962) is a former senior valet to Charles, Prince of Wales who today consults on various royal projects. Career Royal household Fawcett began his service to the British royal family in 1981 as a footman ...

had fixed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for Saudi businessman

Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz () (born 14 December 1969) is a Saudi Arabian businessman living in the United Kingdom. Mahfouz is the executive officer of Saudi-based Marei bin Mahfouz Group, founded by his father Sheikh Marei Mubarak Mahfouz b ...

who donated more than £1.5 million to royal charities contrary to section 1 of the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. Charles gave Mahfouz his Honorary CBE at a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November 2016, though the event was not published in the

Court Circular The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the royal family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St James ...

. This led to an investigation by the

Scottish Charity Regulator The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland. OSCR is the independent regulator and registrar for more than 25,000 Scottish ch ...

. Mahfouz had met Prince Harry in 2013 and 2014 and donated £50,000 to Sentebale and £10,000 to Walking With The Wounded, of which Harry is patron. ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' claimed that the meetings with Harry opened the way for Mahfouz to get access to the Prince of Wales. Harry referred to the incident as the "CBE scandal" in December 2021 and stated that he severed ties with Mahfouz in 2015 after expressing "growing concerns" about his motives, though aides from his father's household denied having any discussions with him regarding Mahfouz. A spokesperson for Sentebale defended the meetings and added that there was not any impropriety regarding the donations. Leaked emails from 2014 between Mark Dyer, a Sentebale trustee, and Mahfouz's representative showed that Mahfouz initially offered a £1 million donation in exchange for a visit by Harry to him and his family, after which Dyer raised concerns about a cash-for-access ploy. He also responded that their agreement on a donation was not "about ahfouzmeeting rince Harryand introducing him to his friends" but "about the children of Lesotho and Sentebale making a difference", adding that the possibility of Harry visiting Saudi Arabia and meeting Mahfouz existed, "but to be held over a barrel, I think is wrong." In 2025, a dispute arose between the trustees and the chair of the board, Sophie Chandauka, concerning fundraising in Africa. The incident resulted in the trustees asking Chandauka to step down, however, she sued the charity in return. Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West subsequently resigned from their positions as trustees, followed by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso stepping down as patrons. Chandauka also reported the charity to the

Charity Commission The Charity Commission for England and Wales is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's Government that regulates registered charities in England and Wales and maintains the Central Register of Charities. Its counterparts in Scotland and ...

, stating that she had "blown the whistle" about "poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the coverup that ensued". Chandauka later accused Harry of harassment and bullying to force her out, in an interview with

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of ...

. In early April 2025, the Charity Commission announced that they had formally opened an investigation into the dispute.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Children's charities based in the United Kingdom Charities based in London HIV/AIDS organisations in the United Kingdom Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex British royal family charities Medical and health organisations based in Lesotho Foreign charities operating in Lesotho 2006 establishments in Lesotho