Britain’s Prince Harry pledged on Tuesday to continue his efforts helping some of Africa’s most vulnerable children.
The British Press Association reported that the young royal made the comment as he began working on a project supported by his charity, Sentebale, based in Lesotho.
His organisation is helping to refurbish a special-needs school — the only one in the African country — that caters for 43 children with profound physical and mental disabilities.
Harry (23) is a lieutenant in the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals and he was joined by more than 20 colleagues from the regiment in bringing the Thuso Centre in the northern town of Butha Buthe up to date.
The prince, speaking in the grounds of the special-needs school, said: ”Everything here is just so positive and fantastic. This is the only mentally handicapped school within Lesotho, and once the project is finished we hope to make another in the centre and one in the south.”
In the morning, Harry joined other soldiers from the Household Cavalry to build a disabled ramp for the school’s youngsters.
The prince, dressed in a T-shirt, chinos and sturdy walking shoes, waited patiently in line with his wheelbarrow behind a local workman to fill it with cement.
He then pushed his load with sweat glistening on his brow and a red face to where the foundation trench for the ramp had been dug, and carefully poured the cement before returning to collect more.
Later he took the waiting media on a brief tour of the school’s two buildings, outlining the work to be done over the next three weeks, which will save the contractor 360 labour days.
Pointing at the new entrance and ramp being constructed, Harry said: ”All the kids are mentally and physically disabled. To expect them to walk up steps like these is madness.”
He moved on to the school’s dining room, which is having its roof space insulated and other repairs made to the outside of the roof. New kitchen facilities will also be installed in the block.
‘Do what’s necessary’
The prince set up his charity, Sentebale, two years ago with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso after spending part of a gap year in 2004 in the country, which has an adult HIV prevalence rate of 30%. Estimates suggest that as many as 200 000 of the country’s half-a-million school-aged children and young people have lost one or both parents to the disease.
The prince acknowledged the massive problem Aids poses in the landlocked kingdom surrounded on all sides by South Africa. He said a ”vast quantity of the population don’t accept they have Aids –if you accept you have Aids, it’s a treatable disease”.
He added: ”Everybody needs to accept there’s a problem in Africa, problems at home. [We need to] get on with it and do what’s necessary to help.”
Harry said the people of Lesotho have no ”access to hospitals, no access to clinics – we’ve got a big-scale problem”.
The Household Cavalry team, which has been working to refurbish the school, had by Tuesday already dug a large hole for a septic tank, and posts for a new parameter fence stood in place around the school.
Major Tom Archer-Burton, who is leading the group of soldiers, was busy coordinating the work. He said: ”If you’re going to put infrastructure into the centre, if you’re going to put kitchens in there … the last thing you want is people coming in and pillaging the site.”
The Household Cavalry team has been touring Southern Africa over the past five weeks on an expedition designed to boost the leadership skills and confidence of the younger members of the group.
Harry joined them for the final two weeks as they travelled through Botswana and Namibia before reaching Lesotho.
The prince and his army colleagues broke for lunch, but after enjoying a snack Harry joined in a project aimed at teaching local youngsters about HIV.
The charity, Kick 4 Life, is being supported by Sentebale and uses football to break down some of the stigmas surrounding the pandemic.
The prince put on a football shirt and joined 10 others for a half-hour match between two teams made up of British soldiers, local teenagers and some members of the press. His team won 2-0, outplaying the opposition who included journalists and photographers.
The prince and the Household Cavalry team then got back to work, removing struts holding up a plasterboard ceiling in the school’s dining room.
The project will be completed over the next three weeks. — Sapa-AP