Lesotho after Live Aid

A child on a jungle gym, LesothoLesotho 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 from the SOS Children's Village Maseru, Lesotho
    Children at play at the SOS Children's Village Maseru, Lesotho
  • 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
    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.