The plight of Lesotho

As highlighted in The Guardian last week, the plight of Lesotho and the juxtaposition with its larger and more affluent neighbour, South Africa is becoming more and more apparent.

Here at Send a Cow, we work on the ground with communities in Lesotho to overcome some of the problems outlined in the article.

Lesotho struggles hugely from a lack of food sovereignty/sustainability. Our community outreach workers, from our office in Lesotho, work with poor families to teach them sustainable agricultural techniques. These skills have been specifically designed to accommodate the tough conditions of Lesotho – mountainous terrain, cold, harsh winters and water scarcity. One such technique is building a ‘keyhole garden’. Used by many across Africa, these space- and water-conserving gardens recycle as they grow, allowing a steady and varied supply of food throughout the year.

This model of support extends over seven countries across Africa where we have helped nearly 16,000 families. Also, every person we have worked with goes on to help 10 others, meaning Send a Cow has improved many more lives. In recognition of our life-changing work in Lesotho, we have been awarded £190,000 by the Isle of Man Overseas Aid committee for which we are seeking match-funding.

It will be very interesting to see how Lesotho’s plea for annexation is received. We hope that the international community continues to recognise the desperate need of the people in Lesotho, particularly at a time when border restrictions are being enforced, limiting migrational workers.

We also hope that the important work of grassroots organisations such as Send a Cow will be recognised and the plight of Lesotho will not be ‘passed off’ to South Africa but remain a responsibility of the developed world, as David Cameron outlined in a recent speech.

Please visit our donate page to find out more about our Lesotho special appeal.