Lesotho after Live Aid

Lesotho is a tiny, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa. It is a resource scarce nation due to its harsh landscapes. As a result it is incredibly dependent on foreign help, particularly from South Africa. Its main exports are water and diamonds.

It is a very poor country, with the UN categorising 40% of the population as ‘ultra-poor’. Approximately 15% of Lesotho’s people are undernourished and a lack of clean drinking water is a huge problem. Between 1980 and 2012, Lesotho's life expectancy at birth went down by 5.1 years.

The major issue currently faced by Lesotho is HIV/ AIDS.  Nearly 130,000 children in Lesotho have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and it affects nearly a quarter of the entire population. SOS Children has been working in Lesotho to help vulnerable children, including those affected by HIV/AIDS, since the 1980s.

Find out more about how you can sponsor a child in Lesotho…

Time Line

• 1966 Independence (Kingdom of Lesotho) with Moshoeshoe II as king and Chief Leabua Jonathan as prime minister.
  

• 1990 King Moshoeshoe II exiled. His son is sworn in (Letsie III).

• 1992 SOS Children starts construction on Children’s Village Maseru, however progress is delayed by political unrest and violence.

  

  Children at play at the SOS Children's Village Maseru, Lesotho

• 1994 Fighting among rival army factions. SOS Children finally opens Children’s Village Maseru. The village includes an SOS Medical Centre

• 1995 Moshoeshoe II restored to the throne; dies in a car crash. Letsie III once again made king.

• 1998 Pakalitha Mosisili becomes prime minister. The opposition stages protests which leads to rioting.
  

• 2002 (May) The ruling party (Lesotho Congress for Democracy) wins parliamentary elections. The elections are run according to a new system which allows smaller parties a voice in parliament.
  

• 2002 (June) Prime Minister Mosisili sworn-in for a second time.

• 2003 SOS Children starts work to support orphaned and vulnerable children and their families, with a focus on the effects of HIV/ AIDS via the Aids Orphan Project

• 2004 Prime Minister Mosisili declares a state of emergency and appeals for food aid as hundreds of thousands face shortages following a three year drought.
  

• 2005 (April) First local elections since independence are held. However, opposition parties boycott the vote.

• 2005 (November) Lesotho launches a much needed programme to offer HIV tests to all citizens.

• 2007 (February)The ruling LCD party wins early parliamentary elections.

• 2007 (July) A state of emergency is declared due to the most severe drought in 30 years.

• 2009 290,000 people in Lesotho are living with AIDS.

  

  A child on a jungle gym, Lesotho

• 2010 SOS Children opens a second community; Children’s Village Quthing which includes a Nursery and a Social Centre providing support for the local community and vulnerable families.The country-wide maternal mortality rate stands at 620 deaths per 100,000 live births, the 11th worst in the world. Drinking water source has improved for only 26% of the population, with 74% still living with unimproved sources.
  

• 2012 Lesotho faces one of its worst food crises in living memory, according to World Food Programme. Growth, according to the African Development Bank, stands at 3.8%. This is modest and is dependent mainly on mining investments and an increase in the productivity of the construction industry.

• 2013 Infant mortality rate, a good indicator of development, is 51.93 per 1,000 live births, 39th worst in the world.