Capital: Maseru
Area: 30,359 km²
Population: 2.5 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Sotho, Europeans and Asians
Official language(s): Sesotho, English
Religion(s): Christians, traditional beliefs
Currency: 1 loti = 100 lisente
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
The work of SOS Children's Villages in Lesotho started in 1988 with the active support of Anna M. Hlalele, who was then the minister for youths' and women's affairs in Lesotho and later became the long-standing president of the local SOS Children's Village Association. A government agreement was signed between the kingdom and SOS-Kinderdorf International in November 1990 and one year later, the national association, "SOS Children's Village Association of Lesotho" was officially registered.
The location for the first SOS Children's Village was chosen in the capital of Maseru. The government had provided a plot of land in the suburb of Lithabaneng. At the official opening of SOS Children's Village Maseru, King Letsie III took over the patronage of SOS Children's Villages Lesotho.
Political unrest from the end of 1998 until March 1999 caused a food shortage and a lack of medical supplies. SOS Children's Village Maseru was able to help the surrounding population by distributing food and medicines as part of an SOS Emergency Relief Programme.
Like all countries in southern Africa, Lesotho has been severely hit by the HIV and AIDS pandemic and, in June 2003, an SOS Social Centre was put into operation with the aim of giving support to HIV and AIDS affected families. The ongoing need by parentless children for being helped and by families in need for being given support was the motivation behind the decision of starting a second programme in Lesotho. As a result, the construction of a supplementary SOS Children’s Village has been adopted and started in 2008 in the south of the country. SOS Children's Village Quthing opened its gates in the summer of 2010.
At present there are two SOS Children's Villages, one SOS Youth Facility, two SOS Kindergarten, one SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, two SOS Social Centres (family strengthening programme) and one SOS Medical Centre in Lesotho.
SOS Children's Village Association of Lesotho
P.O. Box 1180
Maseru West 105
Lesotho
Tel +266 223 162 65
Fax +266 2231 0386