Prince Harry helps rebuild school in poverty-stricken Lesotho

Prince Harry has been carrying on his mother’s good work by spending time rebuilding schools in Lesotho, a small, landlocked African nation of 1.8 million people. One out of three people in the country has HIV or AIDS. Harry first visited the country during his gap year between high school and college. After being moved by the experience, he set up a charity he named Sentebale – which means Forget Me Not in the local language – which focuses on helping the country build important infrastructure and deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Prince Harry is once again raising a hand to help the AIDS-stricken African nation of Lesotho, this time building a special-needs school with his army buddies from the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals regiment. Harry, 23, says he hopes the facility in the northern town of Butha Buthe will be the first of many that can be provided by his Sentebale charitable foundation, reports Britain's Telegraph.

"At Sentebale, as long as we can keep funding the projects, we can make a massive, massive difference," the newspaper quotes Harry as saying – as he was building a ramp to help disabled students get to school. Once completed, the Thuso Centre will welcome more than 40 children with severe physical and mental disabilities – the first such school of its kind in the small kingdom.

"Everything here is just so positive and fantastic," says the royal. "Once the project is finished, we hope to make another in the center [of the nation] and one in the south. The children of Lesotho, the vulnerable children of Lesotho, that's what we're working towards."

[From People]

Prince Harry also mentioned that his trip to Lesotho was not a photo op, but that he hoped his presence would bring more attention to the country. He said that many NGOs have left, believing the country too small and it’s problems too great to be solved. Which is incredibly sad to hear. Harry has been to the country several times to help build and oversee Sentebale.

Here’s Prince Harry touring the Royal Norfolk Show in England on June 25th. Photographer: Anwar Hussein; Images thanks to WENN.