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Updated: March 2009

Lesotho

Overview | World Vision's history in Lesotho| World Vision in Lesotho today

Overview

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small, mountainous sovereign nation completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 4,500 feet in elevation—in fact, 80 percent of the country lies above 5,900 feet. Due to its altitude, Lesotho remains cool throughout most of the year, though summer temperatures can climb into the 80s in the lower elevations. In the winter, snow is common in the low valleys and deserts; the higher peaks usually see snow year-round. The nation’s most important resource is water (for hydroelectricity), though there are very little lakes and rivers covering the land. Other natural resources include arable and grazing land, sand, clay, building stone, and diamonds.

The ethnic makeup of Lesotho is almost completely homogenous—more than 99 percent of the population is Basotho, a Bantu-speaking group who has lived in southern Africa for nearly 600 years. Europeans and Asians also live in Lesotho, but only number a few thousand. Sesotho and English are both official languages, while Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and French also are spoken.

Basutoland was constituted a native state under British protection in 1843, and it later became the independent nation of Lesotho in October 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign. After a period of protests following the 1970 elections, Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution. King Moshoeshoe II was briefly exiled, but returned after a compromise with Jonathan; i.e., the new constitution would name him head of state but forbid his participation in politics. In February 1990, Justin Metsino Lekhanya, the chairman of the military council, stripped the king of his executive power, paving the way for Moshoeshoe’s son to be sworn in as King Letsie III. In the fall of 1998, hundreds of demonstrators demanded new parliamentary elections. Troops from South Africa and Botswana entered the country to quell the riots and suppress a mutiny.		Map of Lesotho


flag of Lesotho 

Country statistics 
Population2 million
Land mass11,718 square miles
People per square mile170
Life expectancy40 years
Under age 5 mortality rate132/1,000
Literacy rate82%
Access to safe water79%
Average annual incomeUS$1,030
Religion
Christian*80%
Indigenous beliefs 20%
*Many Christians practice traditional cultural beliefs and rituals along with Christianity.
 
The political riots of 1998 destroyed nearly 80 percent of commercial infrastructure in major towns, stalling what had been a steadily growing economy. Much of Lesotho’s economy is integrated with South Africa’s. Many family members earn money by working in the diamond and ore mines of South Africa—often for up to nine months at a time. The economy, though, is primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially raising livestock. Drought has decreased agricultural activity in recent years, exacerbating the 45 percent unemployment rate. Half of the Basotho live below the poverty line, while 56 percent live on less than $2 a day.

Severe droughts in the past two years have also affected the economy. The country’s cereal harvest has decreased 42 percent since 2006. In addition to erratic weather conditions, a combination of long-term soil erosion and the impact of HIV and AIDS on farming families has played a major role in Lesotho’s current food insecurity. Because of these conditions, poor families are forced to purchase more of their food needs at a time when commodity prices are rising and income is falling.

To help the economic situation of families, the government of Lesotho implemented the Free Primary Education plan in 2000. As a result, enrollment at primary schools increased. A serious challenge facing parents, however, is what to do once the child has finished primary school. Nearly a third of high school-age children are not in school because of lack of space and because parents cannot afford to send them to private boarding schools. Attendance rates have dropped from 85 percent in primary school to just over 20 percent in high school.

Lesotho has the world’s third highest HIV prevalence rate at 23 percent. More than 270,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS and nearly 100,000 children have lost one or both parents to the disease. According to the UN, there are an estimated 62 new HIV infections and about 50 deaths due to the complications of AIDS each day. The government launched a national AIDS Commission in 2005 to coordinate society-wide AIDS awareness activities. Despite the efforts of this commission, a unified strategy focused on HIV prevention has yet to be developed.

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World Vision's history in Lesotho

World Vision’s South Africa office began operating in Lesotho in 1976 through child sponsorship programs in two schools. These schools also provided day-care education, nutrition, and health care. In 1986, World Vision started a program office for Botswana/Lesotho/Swaziland, providing nutritional programs, clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and farming and livestock needs. A year later, an office was opened in Maseru to oversee Lesotho programs.

From 1987 to 1993, World Vision’s work in Lesotho grew from three projects to 49, including the sponsorship of 15,000 children. Examples of these projects include:
  • The Iteleng Community Development Project, started in the 1990s, provided education for sponsored children, safe drinking water for the entire community, income and employment generating activities, and fruit tree planting.
  • The Rutehang Bana Development Project ministered to the families of miners working in South Africa. Miners often had difficulty supporting their families financially. This project supplied meals for 500 malnourished children and conducted poultry-raising classes for 100 families. In addition, 50 families started vegetable gardens as a result of three borehole wells drilled by World Vision.
  • The Boiteko Women’s Project equipped 50 women with skills in knitting and basket weaving. Sewing and knitting machines were purchased for the training program to assist women in generating income to help improve the quality of life for their families.
Throughout 2003 and 2004, relief projects provided lifesaving food to children and their families affected by the Southern Africa food crisis. World Vision distributed supplementary feeding to 7,000 malnourished children in two Lesotho districts, and families were provided rations that included maize meal, bread fl our, cooking oil, beans, and instant soup packages. They also received toiletries, and fuel and paraffin for cooking. Furthermore, World Vision implemented agricultural recovery assistance efforts and conducted health and nutrition programs. In all, World Vision’s food relief reached more than 129,000 people.

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World Vision in Lesotho today

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Lesotho to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, 35,249 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor more than 23,300 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates eight development programs, five of which are supported by U.S. donors. Highlights of these efforts include the following:
  • The Mapoteng Public High School Project, located in northern Lesotho, seeks to ensure that all children have access to quality education in improved facilities. Because of the possibility that children will not be able to attend high school, the project leaders plan to construct a fully functional public education center, which will include a knowledge classroom where the children of Mapoteng will undergo Information, Communication, and Technology training. A quality governance structure for the school will also be put into place through the capacity building of teachers and school board members.
  • The Microfinance Initiative for Lesotho will help hardworking self-employed parents to increase their incomes and help to feed, educate, and provide heath care for their children. Beginning in 2008, the program began to supply loans to 4,500 adults. The average loan size is $300 with a near 100 percent repayment rate. World Vision staff will train entrepreneurs in business management, preparation of business plans, and credit systems. Project leaders will demonstrate to the Lesotho government the efficiency of this microfinance endeavor, thereby improving the chance to secure loan capital in the future.
For more information concerning World Vision’s efforts in Lesotho, please contact the United States office.

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