News
Prince Harry visits Barbados
29th January 2010
Prince Harry arrives in Barbados today for a three-day visit that will see him play in a charity polo match in aid of impoverished African children.
The Prince will take to the pitch at the exclusive Apes Hill Polo Club to raise money for his charity Sentebale which helps orphans and vulnerable children in the land-locked kingdom of Lesotho.
During his time on the Caribbean island, The Prince will also host a fundraising dinner in aid of the humanitarian effort in Haiti.
The Prince described the future of Lesotho's youngsters - many of whom have lost their parents to HIV or Aids - as "very bleak" in a video message posted last month on The Royal Channel.
In the exclusive broadcast, Prince Harry said he was proud of the work his organisation had achieved since being set up four years ago.
He added: "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 and it is the children who are suffering the most from this crisis."
He added: "Without help, the future of this beautiful country and its unique people is very bleak. We believe Sentebale can change this."
The Prince's team will include Mark Tomlinson, one of Britain's leading polo players, and they will play against a side from South Africa in the inaugural Sentebale Polo Cup on Sunday.
The event will be held annually and will tour the world to raise funds and awareness for Sentebale.
The Prince will meet Sir Clifford Husbands, Governor General of Barbados, when he arrives later today.
Tomorrow Prince Harry will tour the Queen Elizabeth II hospital in the capital Bridgetown and meet children on the paediatric ward and their parents.
Later he will be joined by Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, co-founder of Sentebale, at a garden party for orphaned youngsters and vulnerable children at the country's national museum, and in the evening he will attend the Haiti fundraising dinner.
Prince Harry founded Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeiso after spending part of his gap year in the kingdom which is located within South Africa.
More than 3,000 of Lesotho's orphans and other vulnerable youngsters have already been helped by Sentebale which works with grassroots organisations, providing financial and management support for a large number of projects.
The charity wants to expand some of these projects such as the Mamohato Camps where HIV-positive teenagers spend time together supporting each other and learning how to manage their condition.
Kedge Martin, Sentebale's Chief Executive, said: "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."