Understanding Lesotho’s Winter Challenges
When we think of Africa, many of us envision a continent that’s warm year-round. However, Lesotho, which has the world’s highest low point, experiences harsh winter conditions that can have severe implications for its residents, especially those who live in poverty. As Canadians look forward to warm summer weather, Lesotho’s coldest month, July, is just around the corner, bringing with it significant challenges.
Lesotho’s winter season starts in May and lasts until August. During this time, temperatures can plummet below freezing, sometimes bringing snowfall with it, especially in the highlands. These harsh conditions exacerbate the existing vulnerabilities faced by many families in Lesotho.
Food security is a major issue during Lesotho’s winter months. This past summer, the exceptionally hot weather made it very difficult for many families to grow produce to preserve for the winter. With approximately 80% of the rural population relying on less than 10% of arable land for subsistence farming, the impact of a poor growing season is profound. Lesotho is prone to floods, heavy rains and drought in the summer months which further reduces growing ability and puts an increased dependency on food imports.
Malnutrition is a critical concern during the winter. It’s not just about having enough food but also about consuming food with the necessary nutrients. This is particularly important for young children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and grandmothers. Chronic malnutrition affects 34.5% of children under five in Lesotho.
Help Lesotho is actively monitoring the food situation and responding to areas where people are most at risk. According to the World Food Programme, 580,000 people in Lesotho are considered “food insecure”, that’s approximately one quarter of the country’s population. The situation is especially dire for child-headed households, as many parents migrate to South Africa for work, leaving children to fend for themselves and take care of their other siblings.
Additionally, during July’s winter break, schools close, and children lose access to school lunch programs, often resulting in increased hunger and reliance on just one small meal per day.
Your support is crucial in helping provide essential food parcels, solar lamps, blankets, and boots to those in need. By donating here, you help ensure that the people of Lesotho have the resources they need to survive the winter months and mitigate the impacts of food insecurity.
Support Help Lesotho and other charities with this year’s 24 Good Deeds Advent Calendar!
Mathabiso lives with her husband, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She and her adorable grandson, who is not yet old enough to be at school with his siblings, proudly showed their repaired home. One side of their home was completely rebuilt while the other three walls were coated with cement. Mathabiso specifically asked for Help Lesotho to share a photo of her perfectly cleaned and hung laundry blowing in the wind – a clear indication of the love and care she has for the children she is raising. Her garden was bursting with peas and pumpkins, and the apple tree she received from Help Lesotho was full and healthy!
MaLong might be 82-years-old, but she is the definition of spunky! She bustled about her property in her bare feet, tending to her garden and donkeys, and declared, “I’m active because I’m from Help Lesotho!” MaLong is raising eight of her seventeen grandchildren. She manages to pay to send three of them to high school with the money she earns as an informal entrepreneur. Several days a week she rises before the sun to collect cans and cardboard from her community to sell to a recycling truck that passes through town occasionally. Other days she brings her donkey down the mountain to the community tap to haul water back up to her village, which she then sells for a small convenience fee. Finally, she has a beautiful garden that she sells vegetables from – and which she fully attributes to the skills she learned from Help Lesotho! On our visit, MaLong could not stop dancing, singing, and saying, “I love Help Lesotho!”
Down a steep, narrow path of rust-orange soil lives Makhotso, a 102-year-old grandmother. Her body is frail, but her spirit is strong. She stood and walked about three meters, from the side of her bed to the small kitchen. Even though her five great-great-great-grandchildren are now responsible for most of the chores, she insists on caring for her pig, her pride and joy, who recently had piglets. Makhotso was a member of Help Lesotho’s Grandmother Program from 2010-2011. She feels deeply connected to Help Lesotho and attributes her will to keep going to the resilience she built at Help Lesotho. Through the Home Repair Project, Makhotso’s bedroom wall was fully rebuilt and a new door was installed that keeps her safe and warm in her home.
