Prince Harry launched a major new fundraising project for his charity Sentebale recently and said he hoped his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales would be “proud” of his efforts.
Credit/Copyright: http://www.princehenryofwales.org
Prince Harry mentioned his late mother as he gave a speech at a gala dinner in South Africa after spending three days in neighbouring Lesotho where his organisation works to help disadvantaged children.
The charity aims to raise £2.5 million to build the Mamohato Centre, which will expand the charity’s service of providing psychological care and peer mentoring for children and young people with HIV/AIDS.
It will be built on the sacred land of Thabu-Bosiu in Lesotho, known to many as the birthplace of the nation.
At the Summer Place, a luxury function venue in the heart of Johannesburg, wealthy potential benefactors were invited to the dinner which ended with a charity auction.
Prince Harry told his guests which included his charity co-founder Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso: "Over the past few years our Mamohato programme has begun the process of transforming the lives of children living with HIV.
“I have met some of the children who have attended the Mamohato Camps, and they have so much more confidence and knowledge of how to live healthy lives.
“With the new Mamohato Camp we will be able to reach four times as many children each year. It will also be the centre for training new staff and volunteers for our expansion in southern Africa.”
The Prince, who used public transport to travel from the airport into Johannesburg earlier, on South Africa’s new Gautrain service, added: “The programme encourages children to talk to one another, to learn about the disease, and spread word of their learning through a safe support network. Talking about HIV and understanding it isn’t dangerous. Denying it, or not knowing about it, definitely is.”
Speaking about the naming of the new centre Prince Harry said: "It seems only right that it should be named after His Majesty (of Lesotho) and Prince Seeiso’s mother, Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso.
“She was so loved as the mother of the nation. I hope she would be proud of what we are trying to achieve in her name.
“I hope that my mother will be proud, too. Maybe, just maybe, they are together somewhere up there, with blue prints and sketches already mapped out. I can only hope we put the swings in the right place.”
FHM magazine model Bonang Matheba hosted the evening and joked she wanted to get The Prince dancing.
The famous South African presenter wore a white dress and said: “I told him he should loosen up and have some fun – I will show him some South African dances.”
Source: PrinceHarryOfWales.org
