Harry lends Lesotho a hand

2008-07-08 16:25

Maseru - Britain's Prince Harry was donning his work overalls on Tuesday as he joined in a project to revamp a centre for the disabled in the tiny African mountain kingdom of Lesotho, said organisers.

Harry, the third in line to the throne, was helping with the installation of wheelchair ramps throughout the $165 000 Thuso Community Centre, currently home to a total of 43 children with profound physical and mental disabilities, but would eventually house up to 80 youngsters.

The 23-year-old, who recently undertook a two-month tour of duty with the British army in Afghanistan, was later due to take part in a football match organised by Kick4Life, a local charity which lured England's Italian coach Fabio Capello to Lesotho back in April.

Part of the funding for the building work had been provided by the local charity Sentebale that was also heavily involved in the fight against Aids in the kingdom, which was totally landlocked, by South Africa.

40% Lesotho kids 'orphaned'

Sentebale director Harper Brown said that the aim was to turn Thuso into the country's teaching and rehabilitation centre for disabled children, many of whom had found themselves orphaned by the pandemic.

In a briefing on Monday attended by the prince and reporters, Brown said that 80 people were dying every day from Aids-related illnesses in a country with a population of about two million.

"Forty percent of Lesotho children are orphaned and the statistics are alarming. This is largely due to HIV/Aids," said Brown.

Harry was also due to visit the Lesotho Child Counselling Unit, just outside the capital Maseru, on Wednesday and also planned trips to a number of orphanages.

The prince had been a frequent visitor to Lesotho, spending two months working here during his gap year between school and university, and made a television documentary about the plight of the country's children in 2004.

- AFP