Prince Harry to meet young HIV activists in Botswana
Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry will meet young people speaking up for their peers living with HIV when he visits a health centre in Botswana as part of his 10-day visit to Africa.
The Let Youth Lead advocates, who are chosen and supported by the Sentebale charity, will welcome the royal guest, who is visiting the town of Kasane, a town in the northeastern corner of Botswana, near the borders with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It's the gateway to Chobe National Park, known for the herds of elephants which converge on the Chobe River in the dry season. The wildlife-rich town is 925 kilometers from Gaborone
Sentebale was co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help young people who have HIV. In 2016 Sentebale Charity expanded its activities into Botswana.
The country has the third highest HIV prevalence in the world and the duke’s charity runs 47 Botswana clubs supporting 1,300 HIV positive young people each month, through self-confidence building initiatives, practical health advice and peer-to-peer support. Hospices or residential camps are also staged with the same aims and the numbers seeking help are growing.
Sentebale’s Let Youth Lead advocates have lobbied on international platforms and met national figures since the initiative was set up to give young people a voice to debate issues that affect them, such as HIV/AIDS.
The young leaders will re-create a camp activity for Prince Harry.
Prince Harry will then join them for a discussion about why they represent their peers before listening to a live broadcast of Sentebale’s Radio Positive show hosted by two advocates on a popular local radio station.
During his visit Prince Harry will join more than 200 schoolchildren and 30 teachers from 10 primary schools and two secondary schools for a tree-planting event in the Chobe Forest Reserve.
He will also board a Botswana Defence Force patrol boat to learn about the challenges the unit faces as they conduct river patrols to deter would-be poachers.
-0- PANA MS/MA 26Sept2019
