Sentebale gathers innovative funders and business leaders in Southern Africa to accelerate prosperity for youth in the region

Founding Patrons Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and HRH Prince Seeiso re-convene in Lesotho with local Sentebale leaders to showcase programs to philanthropists and corporate foundations

NEW YORK, NY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 – Sentebale, a non-profit organization working to enhance health, wealth generation, and climate resilience for young people in Southern Africa, is gathering local and global organizations and philanthropists to accelerate sustainable solutions for youth and community prosperity in the region. Stakeholders will address specific regional challenges faced by the next generation, set against the broader global context of a rapidly evolving digital workforce and related economic opportunities.

Founded in 2006 by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and HRH Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Sentebale works with children, young people, and their communities in the Southern African countries of Lesotho and Botswana.

Taking place early next month, this visit reflects the strategic direction Sentebale has pursued the past year under the leadership of Sentebale Board Chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka MBE, a global c-suite executive who grew up in the region, as the organization looks to expand its impact.

This gathering marks a return to Southern Africa for Prince Harry since his last visit in 2019. He is accompanied by corporate foundations and philanthropists—a group of innovative funders dedicated to sustainable impact in the region. The group was first convened earlier this year in Miami by Sentebale and its strategic partner LEBEC, a women-led innovative finance and philanthropy firm.

This group will travel to Lesotho to witness Sentebale’s programs at work, followed by working sessions in Johannesburg with leading Southern Africa-based business leaders, foundations and organizations already active in the youth sector. These sessions will explore collaborative strategies to deploy expertise and innovative capital to reduce the digital divide and ensure youth access to healthcare, education, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities.

Sentebale Board Chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka MBE said, “Africa has the largest and fastest-growing youth population, and by 2050, nearly 40% of the world’s youth will reside on the continent, with Southern Africa home to a significant portion. Over 50% of these young people are at risk of remaining economically vulnerable without urgent investment in digital skills, education, and job creation. The Duke’s return to Southern Africa, alongside our new American friends, marks a milestone as we collaborate with world-class organizations and local leadership to engage this critical youth cohort. Together, we aim to accelerate digital and economic inclusion, addressing the low levels of access and literacy, which are crucial for young people’s participation in the global economy and for achieving Sentebale’s goals in health, wealth creation, and climate resilience.”

Co-Founding Patron Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex said, “Through its work in Lesotho and Botswana, Sentebale has developed a profound understanding of local youth – their passions, their concerns, and their extraordinary creativity. These young adults are eager and capable of driving meaningful change, yet significant barriers still stand in their way. As we head towards our 20^th anniversary, our ambition has grown, giving us the confidence to bring our skills and experience in designing solutions with young people, and to leveraging our convening power to engage with leading regional players and global funders so we can add Sentebale’s voice to addressing the challenges faced by the next generation in Southern Africa.”

Co-Founding Patron, Prince Seeiso said, “It fills me, the team, and our wider community with joy to welcome Prince Harry or Mohale as we affectionately refer to him by his Sesotho royal name which means “warrior”. Now more than ever, as we look to the challenges of our young generation here in Lesotho, the collective energy of both local and international individuals and organizations who see the potential in these youth, is embraced. We know that there are bright futures at stake, and we continue to approach our work with the vision that all children can be empowered, healthy and resilient through sustainable solutions that can ultimately be locally driven.”

The Sentebale-led convening includes the following:

• A site visit to the ‘mountain kingdom’ of Lesotho, where Sentebale was founded and where Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso will reconvene to meet with local leaders and youth advocates. They will showcase Sentebale’s impact and opportunities to new supporters of the organization, alongside existing donors through American Friends of Sentebale, the American arm of the UK-based non-profit.

• The group, alongside South Africa-based stakeholders and strategic partner LEBEC, will then gather in Johannesburg for ‘Potential is Waiting: The Johannesburg Edition’– a reception and panel on the importance and opportunities of catalytic giving and partnerships that builds on the Miami version of the same gathering in April 2024. Panellists will include Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex; Hector Mujica, Head of Economic Opportunity, Americas, Google.org; Sam Stephens, President and CEO, AB InBev Foundation, and Stacey Boyd, Founder and CEO, Olivela. The evening will be moderated by Sentebale’s Board Chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka MBE, and with a keynote address by George Sibotshiwe, a notable political strategist in Southern Africa, and a fireside discussion with Radio Workshop Executive Director, Vuyo Lutseke; Mary-Ann Nobele and Musa Khuzwayo, local youth reporters. Radio Workshop trains young people across Africa to use radio and podcasts to tackle the issues that matter to them and their communities.
• The visit closes with a private working session, alongside global and Southern African organizations with a focus on youth employment and entrepreneurship. The contingent will examine the regional challenges relating to digital inclusion, workplace readiness, entrepreneurship, intra-SADC youth migration, and gender inequity. These challenges affect a vast number of organizations focused on the wellbeing and prosperity of young people in Southern Africa and impact Sentebale’s capacity to deliver impact at scale. The initiative has been supported by:
  • ABInBev Foundation
  • Baker McKenzie
  • José Andrés Group
  • Nandi Life Sciences
  • Olivela

with strategic advice from Alix Lebec, Founder & CEO of LEBEC; Iain Rawlinson of Rawlinson Partners; and Instinct.

For more information about Sentebale’s work please visit sentebale.org.

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Images and further updates will be available at the Sentebale Getty site from October 1: https://publicity.gettyimages.com/event/sentebale-return-to-southern-africa

For media enquiries please contact:

Megan Matthews

Head of Marketing & Communications, Sentebale
Email: media@sentebale.org / megan.matthews@sentebale.org

Notes to editors:

About Sentebale

Sentebale works with children and young people and their communities to create sustainable solutions that address issues of health, wealth inequity, and climate resilience in the Southern African countries of Lesotho and Botswana.

The organization was founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex and HRH Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 as a response to the needs of children and young people in Lesotho and in memory of their late mothers. The name means ‘forget-me-not’ in the Sesotho language, representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in the region.

Over the last eighteen years, Sentebale has developed solutions informed by children, their caregivers and the young people the organization serves, to address both systemic issues and individual needs of the moment. This work includes providing and enabling the care of young people living with HIV/AIDS, addressing mental health issues, career exploration and entrepreneurship, critical life skills and advocacy; and offering vocational training and education opportunities. Sentebale’s work has recently expanded into the regeneration of landscapes to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on the natural resources that communities rely on.

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