Sentebale

Sentebale is a registered charity.[1]

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.

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 3rd highest rate of HIV in the world and there are over 37,000 children under 14 living with HIV.[2] The country has 360,000 orphans and around 10% of all children are vulnerable.[3]

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.[4]

Issues in Lesotho

Development

Lesotho was 160/187 countries in the Human Development Index and described as having “low human development”.[5] 43.2% of the population are living below the national poverty line.[6] The country also came 108/187 for gender equality.[5] 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.[7] This is due in part to the traditional role of males in Basotho society. They are expected to spend their time herding livestock. This severely limits their access to education.

Health

Lesotho has a population of just 1.8 million,[6] 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.[3] Life expectancy is on average just 41.2 years.[6]

The country has the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world.[2] 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."[8] 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.[8]

Sentebale's Work

Sentebale focuses on supporting vulnerable children. The charity runs five key projects to enable communities to improve health, care and education.

  1. Sentebale runs week-long camps for HIV –positive children. These camps are led by Sentebale and supported by volunteers and health clinics. They are intended to educate and improve the confidence of children affected by HIV.
  2. Network clubs for camp alumni are held twice a month. The aim of these camps is to foster “expert patients” who can educate the community and keep themselves and others safe.
  3. Caregiver days connect medical professionals with the children and their families. This initiative has been successful in improving AntiRetroViral therapy (ARV) LINKS adherence and community support for those affected by HIV

Background to Lesotho

Lesotho is a mountainous country, land-locked by South Africa. It has a land area of 30,300 square kilometers. Three quarters of the country is highland with a height more than 1,600m above sea level and a maximum height of 3,482m. There are mountain ranges in the east and running from north to south. In the centre of Lesotho the two largest rivers in Southern Africa, the Senqu and the Tugela have their source on a high plateau.[10]

In the lowlands continuous cultivation and the use of manure for fuel has led to leaching of soil nutrients. Soil erosion is a serious issue in Lesotho due to increasing human and livestock population pressure and heavy rainfall. The country has also been affected by severe droughts. The climate is variable with temperatures commonly dropping below zero in the highlands and reaching highs of 32 degrees Celsius in the lowlands.[10]

In recent years severe droughts followed by heavy rains have led to significant decreases in food production. The availability of the staple crop, maize, has dropped by 77% since 2011. This has led to severe food shortages.[11]

A UN emergency appeal in 2012 indicated that a third of the population are affected by a food crisis.[12] In addition levels of anemia and stunted growth in children under-5 are well above emergency international thresholds.[13]

Sentebale staff

Sentebale maintains a small office in the UK with primarily a fundraising role. The chief executive is UK based, but all other operational staff are Basotho and based in Lesotho

Management Team

The Chief Executive of Sentebale is Cathy Ferrier who joined in 2012. For the last 5 years Cathy was Fundraising Director at Oxfam. Prior to this Cathy has worked for 25 years in buying and marketing roles for leading retailers[14] From 2007-2012 Kedge Martin was CEO of Sentebale. Prior to her appointment at Sentebale Kedge Martin was the CEO of WellChild, a charity that provides care, support and research to long term, chronically sick children across the UK.[15]

The Executive Director based in Lesotho is Bahlakoana Manyanye, who joined the charity in May 2010. Manyanye has been part of the Sentebale team since 2007 and was previously the Director of Planning and Administration.[16]

Trustees[17]

Philip Nevill Green, former boss of United Utilities, was appointed as chairman.

In 2012 Baroness Linda Chalker joined Sentebale’s Board of Trustees. Baroness Chalker was the overseas development minister for eight years in the Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. She also has extensive experience in driving investment in Africa.

In 2011 Johnny Hornby, part owner of CHI and Partners Marketing Agency and Nigel Cox, a former audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, were appointed to vacancies on the board of Sentebale.[18]

Sentebale's Trustees are:

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.[1][19][20] 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.[1][19][21] Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mail, the Lesotho Child Counselling Unit, which Prince Harry had visited in the name of the charity, remained without promised funding to provide basic operational requirements.[19]

In 2009 Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative Party deputy chairman, donated £250,000 to Sentebale to remedy financial difficulties at the charity.[22]

A new Chief Executive, Kedge Martin, joined in 2009. Before joining Sentebale Kedge Martin was the CEO of WellChild, a charity that provides care, support and research to long term, chronically sick children across the UK.[23]

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%. 72% of expenditure was spent directly on supporting orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho. 27% was spent on fundraising and 1% on governance.[24][25]

In 2011 Larry Hirst, the former Chairman of IBM Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Nigel Cox, a former audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, were appointed to vacancies on the board of Sentebale.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Charity Commission. Sentebale, registered charity no. 1113544.
  2. 1 2 UNGASS, Lesotho. "Global Aids Response Country Progress Report" (PDF). UNGASS. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  3. 1 2 "National Strategic Plan on Vulnerable Children April 2012 - March 2017". 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  4. ↑ "Sentebale Website". Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  5. 1 2 "Human Development Report 2011". UNDP. Retrieved 2012-11-19. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  6. 1 2 3 "Lesotho 2012 Facts and Figures" (PDF). World Food Programme. Retrieved 2012-11-19. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  7. ↑ "Education (all levels) Profile Lesotho". UNESCO. Retrieved 2012-11-19. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  8. 1 2 "Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey 2009" (PDF). Lesotho Demographioc and Health Survey (2009). Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  9. ↑ "Sentebale Our Work". Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  10. 1 2 "Lesotho Fact Sheet". Lesotho High Commission in London. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  11. ↑ IRIN. "Lesotho: Food Security goes from bad to worse". IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  12. ↑ UN News Centre. "UN seeks $38 million to respond to Lesotho's food crisis". United Nations. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  13. ↑ "Lesotho 2012 Facts and Figures" (PDF). World Health Organisation. Retrieved 2012-11-19. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  14. ↑ Eden, Richard (2012-01-15). "Prince Harry Visits Oxfam to Replace Contentious Charity Boss". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  15. ↑ Walker, Tim (2010-12-31). "Kedge Martin tightens her grip on Sentebale". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "Our Team". Sentebale. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  17. ↑ Sentebale. "Sentebale Our Team". Sentebale. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  18. ↑ Richard Eden (21 August 2011). "Prince Harry brings 'new minds' into his charity for African orphans". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  19. 1 2 3 Sue Reid (2008-10-25). "William and Harry's African charity motorbike trek has been the trip of a lifetime. But when will the orphaned children it's meant to help see a penny?". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  20. ↑ "Harry accused of wasting over $2m". Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  21. ↑ "Prince Harry's charity tight with cash". NEWS.com.au. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  22. ↑ Richard Eden (23 January 2010). "Boss of Prince Harry's charity resigns after just one year". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  23. ↑ Tim Walker (31 December 2010). "Kedge Martin tightens her grip on Sentebale". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  24. ↑ Sentebale. "Report and Accounts 2010 Sentebale" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  25. ↑ Kay, Richard (2012-03-13). "Having won over Brazil, now Harry's charity sees record gains of £2.1m to complete remarkable turnaround". London: The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  26. ↑ Richard Eden (21 August 2011). "Prince Harry brings 'new minds' into his charity for African orphans". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
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