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April 2024 - December 2024:
Transformation Actions and Governance Review
In parallel with the strategic fundraising efforts, a detailed governance review was completed between April and July 2024, followed by resolution of key issues from August 2024 onwards. This included agreeing transition plans for most of the then Board, some whose members had significantly exceeded recommended term limits.
However, between April and December 2024, Board functioning and fundraising operations experienced acute difficulties due to competing commercial interests, increasing interference, diversion and undermining of funding leads by one of the former patrons and some of the former trustees. The Chair raised governance and professional conduct concerns
with one former patron on 7 November 2024 and the then senior independent trustee on 11 November 2024, initially seeking private resolution through protected disclosures as a
whistleblower under English law.
December 2024 - March 2025:
Board Changes and Reputation Management
From December 2024, records show that action was covertly initiated to remove the Chair without cause by one of the former patrons and some of the former trustees. When mediation attempts and the governance concerns raised by the Chair, including in writing on 12 February 2025, received
no response, the Chair reported the matter to the Charity Commission through its whistleblowing procedure on 16 February 2025. Soon thereafter, two Board members resigned. The Chair also sought protection from the High Court of
Justice of England and Wales, using her own resources, for urgent injunctive relief on 5 March 2025 to protect her from
the ongoing unconstitutional attempts by one former patron and the remaining former trustees to remove her from office, beginning mid-February 2025. The Chair did not resign, staying committed to good governance and the team who understood the situation, as resignation would not serve the organisation’s long-term interests. On 6 March 2025, the High Court ordered a stay of proceedings and recommended mediation. The former patrons and remaining former trustees instead decided to resign with effect from 24 March 2025. A new Board from a pre- existing pool of prospective trustees that had already engaged with the charity for over a year was appointed on 25 March 2025 in accordance with the charity’s constitution.
On 25 March 2025, without notifying the charity, the former patrons and trustees briefed the press and made public announcements regarding their departure which included misleading and incorrect statements regarding the charity’s leadership, governance and operations, and financial position, resulting in sustained adverse media coverage in international and social media. Disinformation caused reputational damage to the charity and its leadership, potentially affecting public trust in the charity. In response, from 29 March 2025, and in order to protect the charity from serious harm, Sentebale publicly addressed the most damaging disinformation through responses to the press, Sentebale’s social media channels, the Financial Times and a Sky News interview.
Throughout this period, the charity’s Southern Africa-based senior executives supported the action taken by the Chair and the transition to a new Board, guided by their assessment of organisational values, commitment to due process, and the importance of the Transformation Agenda to beneficiaries and the long-term independence and sustainability of operations in Lesotho and Botswana.
April 2025 - August 2025:
Charity Commission Regulatory Engagement and Validation
The media interest in the charity prompted the Charity Commission to open a regulatory compliance case review on 3 April 2025 stating that “The regulator’s focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity’s current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilledtheir duties and responsibilities under charity law”.
The Charity Commission issued its case concluding statement on 6 August 2025 confirming that Sentebale had validly appointed Trustees in place to take the charity forward and presenting
a regulatory action plan for the Trustees to complete for the purposes of addressing past governance issues as identified
in the review. The charity welcomed the Charity Commission’s validation of the new Board and the Commission’s recognition of the much-needed governance reforms which had been the focus of the Chair’s concerns as she had reported to the Charity Commission in February 2025.
The governance-related actions prescribed by the Charity Commission’s action plan, which the charity has largely completed, included introduction of robust policies for addressing internal complaints and whistleblowing; implementation of constitutional dispute resolution procedures; introduction of a trustees’ code of conduct; and implementation of clear delegation frameworks including guidance for approaching the governance of any future patron relationship. Recruitment of further trustees to complement the current Board will commence this year.
In its statement responding to the Charity Commission’s concluding statement on 6 August 2025, Sentebale summarised the operational progress made since the start of 2025.
It noted that despite weathering a period of turbulence and
a shifting international funding landscape that has increasingly deprioritised Africa, the charity remains on track to directly serve at least 78,000 children and young people across Lesotho and Botswana this year, matching or exceeding its 2024 impact, while maintaining exceptional partnerships with governments, traditional leaders, and donors.
The continued implementation of transformation work has brought diligent focus on efficiency and stewardship, with senior executive leadership established in Southern Africa closer to operations, a more agile smaller Board able to respond quickly to organisational needs and Charity Commission requirements, and a cost-management programme reducing the charity’s cost base by approximately 25% (GBP£1million) on an annualised basis. These changes were executed without any reduction
in service delivery while retaining 92% of staff following completion of the global restructuring.
With these strong foundations in place, Sentebale can move forward with confidence - free from interference, committed to continuous improvement, and focused on delivering solutions addressing health, wealth and climate resilience for children and young people in Southern Africa.