Lesotho Lesotho is a land of rugged mountains and deep valleys, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is the only country in Africa with one ethnic group, culture and language, Sesotho. Hard-hit by the AIDS pandemic, the Kingdom of Lesotho has seen life expectancy drop dramatically from 60 years to 42 years. More than one in five adults in Lesotho is HIV-positive, one of the highest rates in the world. HIV/AIDS has placed a huge burden on Lesotho’s people: there are fewer healthy adults to grow food on limited farming land, and more children orphaned and in need of support.
Coupled with seasons of drought, severe weather, and poor harvests, Lesotho families are suffering widespread, life-threatening food shortages and malnutrition
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| Children Affected by HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS poses the biggest threat to children’s survival, care, protection and development in Lesotho. The strong social fabric, once sufficient for caring for small numbers of orphans and vulnerable children, is now well overstretched. Poverty and hunger make life harder for children. • Babies born to HIV-positive mothers risk HIV infection and often suffer malnutrition.
• Girls drop out of school to care for sick parents or siblings. Others drop out to work.
• Child-headed households are more vulnerable to food shortages, and to all forms of abuse.
• Losing a parent along with other sudden life changes can cause depression, psychological trauma and thoughts of suicide In collaboration with children’s groups from its programme areas and other children’s associations, World Vision is lobbying for the swift enactment of the proposed Child Protection Bill, to ensure protection of all children including those with HIV/AIDS. |
World Vision in Lesotho
World Vision began working in Lesotho in 1975 through its South Africa office, offering education, nutrition and healthcare in two schools. Its Lesotho office opened in 1987. Today, World Vision is helping more than 35,000 sponsored children and their families, and has the largest emergency relief operation in the country, distributing about half of all food aid in Lesotho to some 345,000 people.
In addition, World Vision is:
• Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS; establishing community-led coalitions to care for the chronically ill and orphans; and promoting justice for those living with HIV. World Vision is also working with church leaders to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS and empower the church to provide hope and support in their communities.
• Responding to the ongoing food crisis to save lives and ensure recovery and future resilience. This includes providing food to the most vulnerable, while those able to work receive food as payment for building community assets like vegetable gardens and roads.
• Helping families find more reliable sources of food by teaching farmers to keep chickens and pigs, to use organic and conservation techniques to improve soil fertility, combat soil erosion, and reduce the impact of drought, enabling them to grow vegetables all year round.
• Helping orphans and vulnerable children go to school by constructing classrooms, providing school materials, uniforms and help with school fees.
• Increasing access to clean water by constructing water systems in rural areas.
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