Sentebale will expand into four more countries and quadruple its income by 2017, the chief executive of Prince Harry's Lesotho charity has told the Telegraph.
In her first interview since moving to Sentebale from Oxfam where she was marketing director, chief executive Cathy Ferrier said the charity has shortlisted four other southern African countries that it is considering supporting. In order to do so it hopes to boost income from £2m to £8m by raising its profile and approaching major donors for the first time.
The charity, which works to benefit the health and education of the disadvantaged in Lesotho, saw a 16 per cent income increase in its latest accounts, but hopes to significantly boost the public recognition of the charity in order to increase support.
Prince Harry let slip last March that his long-term plans for the charity are to expand around the world wherever needed.
The royal is not only a founder, together with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, but an active member of the charity Ferrier told the national newspaper, meeting her at least every other month to discuss strategy. Even when he is deployed by the military flying Apache helicopters in Afghanistan, he keeps in regular email contact, she said.
But Ferrier, who has led Sentebale since March last year, advised that despite Prince Harry's involvement in the charity, both it and the country it supports, Lesotho, are still largely unknown by the British public.
However the charity, founded in 2006, has now had enough on the ground experience to prove its worth to major donors such as the Elton John Aids Foundation, said Ferrier. Sentebale is also to have a plot in the Chelsea Flower Show, funded by B&Q, for the first time this year.
Sentebale has a staff of just five but boasts a trustee board with considerable influence, including Philip Green, former chief executive of United Utilities and current adviser to the Prime Minister on corporate responsibility as chair. He is joined on the board by, among others, former minister for Africa and International Development Baroness Chalker of Wallasey; head of corporate finance and secretariat at Virgin Money Group Sophie Chandauka, and founder of advertising agency CHI & Partners which works with the likes of Burger King, British Gas and Argos, Johnny Hornby.
