Lesotho

The Problem

Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked country with 80% of the population living in rural areas. There are estimated to be 290,000 people living with HIV in Lesotho, including 21,000 children. Some progress has been made, with just over 50% of people with advanced HIV and 71% of HIV-positive pregnant women now receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) (1). Clearly there are still issues to address:

• Young women are twice as likely to be infected with HIV than young men.
• Only 3.8% of MSM can correctly identify ways of preventing sexual transmission of HIV.
• Over 130,000 children have lost a mother or father to AIDS (2). 

Our Response

EJAF supported the development of a cost effective, mobile health fleet of community health workers, nurses and doctors across a third of the country’s clinics.  This increased their productivity and the numbers reached particularly in mountainous often difficult to access areas. 

Our Strategy

EJAF’s recent approach in Lesotho is to fund programmes of work that strengthen local or national provision and can be scaled up to address issues:

HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care

Programmes that work on the expansion of ART services and palliative and home-based care.

 

Addressing the needs of women 

Strategic programmes that aim to decrease the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV and to mitigate its impact on them. These include:

 

• Providing integrated services that include sexual reproductive health, HIV testing/treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
• Legal/human rights programmes that empower women infected, affected and at risk of HIV to make informed choices and protect themselves.
• Providing high impact food security and income generation programmes.

 

Programmes for men who have sex with men (MSM)

Programmes providing information, treatment, psychosocial support, and legal advice to MSM so they are able to make informed choices regarding HIV, access treatment, and exercise their rights

 

Organisations/networks of People Living with HIV (PLWH)

Programmes which empower PLWH to play a key role in the development of services, improve their quality of life and exercise self-determination

1. UNGASS 2010 Country Progress Report

2. UNGASS 2010 Country Progress Report