Sentebale Polo Cup launched in Barbados
Sentebale's Patrons Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso have launched the inaugural Sentebale Polo Cup in Barbados.
On Sunday 31st January the polo match was held at Apes Hill Polo Club and crowds of over 2000 gathered to watch. It was an exciting match and the Sentebale team had a close win by just one goal.
Prince Harry played in the match and Prince Seeiso supported from the sidelines alongside Barbados' Prime Minister the Honourable David Thompson.
The Sentebale Polo Cup has been launched to raise both funds and awareness for Sentebale and the children of Lesotho, and will be held in different locations each year.
This year we were fortunate to be the guests of Sir Charles Williams who generously offered to host the event at Apes Hill. It was a stunning venue for our first Polo Cup and the sun shone all day until just after the match when the rain started.
In a speech before the game, Prince Harry said, 'It seems to be one of life's cruellest ironies that when natural disaster strikes, whether it be an earthquake in Haiti, or years of drought and ravaging by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, it is always the most vulnerable, the defenceless, normally the children, who are left exposed and needing more help.
We seem so powerless to prevent these things from happening, but out of such tragedy comes the purest of human reactions: love, charity, and, in time, a sense of renewed hope. This is really what Sentebale is about.
We are making a real difference in Lesotho but it is not straight forward. The problems are complex and our work, inevitably, is not without its issues. But, we are there for the long-term, and solutions must be sustainable and directed to the point of actual need- the kids on the ground'.
Prince Seeiso presented the Prime Minister with a traditional Basotho blanket and hat, which he sportingly put on. Not only was the day a great success and enjoyed by all, but it raised a considerable sum of money for Sentebale.
This will help Sentebale's work with Lesotho's children as we look to expand our operations on the ground, reaching even more of the country's children who are so desperately in need of help.
© Sentebale 2011