Participants in our Grandmother Support Program typically live in very old homes that are a struggle to maintain. Roofs are often made of thatch, walls of mud and stones, and doors and windows rarely close securely. It is a constant concern for the safety of the grandmothers and the orphaned grandchildren they care for. Repairing homes is not a typical component of our program due to the complexity and cost of such work. In 2021, we launched a special initiative to raise funds to repair the homes of grandmothers who were in greatest need. There were many challenges along the way, but seeing these families in safer homes certainly makes it worth the effort!

Peg Herbert began a non-profit in her Ottawa basement that is now being recognized for impacting over 274,000 people in Lesotho.

Dr. Peg Herbert, a practicing counsellor and educational psychology lecturer at the University of Ottawa, upended her life in 2000 after meeting one of her students, a nun and school principal from Lesotho, the mountainous kingdom landlocked by South Africa.

“When I first learned about Lesotho, it was during the height of the AIDS crisis in Africa,” said Herbert. “Nearly an entire generation was lost in a matter of years, leaving behind an enormous cohort of children and youth.”

Herbert traveled to Lesotho in 2004 and experienced firsthand the impacts of HIV, poverty and gender-based violence, and the compound effects of depression, hopelessness and grief. Her background in social work, academia and counselling gave her a clear vision on how she could help.

“When people are equipped with coping strategies, decision-making skills and self-esteem, they can take the necessary steps to move forward through trauma and challenges”.

The mental health needs are significant, with Lesotho having the highest suicide rate Africa according to the World Bank. Herbert’s approach to providing psychosocial support as a means to building resilience was well ahead of the curve, with Global Affairs Canada’s feminist approach finally recognizing the pivotal strategy in 2021.

Herbert’s resulting efforts, in constant partnership and communication with community leaders, quickly became Canada’s largest nonprofit in Lesotho: Help Lesotho. An all-local staff of 45 work across six of Lesotho’s 10 districts building resilience, providing mental health support and delivering life skills education for adolescents, grandmothers caring for orphaned grandchildren, pregnant and nursing young mothers, herd boys, police officers, and community leaders.

At an event on March 17, 2023, more than 500 people gathered to celebrate Peg Herbert. Herbert is pictured with graduates of various Help Lesotho leadership programs.

Work celebrated by generations

Herbert is being honoured in both Canada and Lesotho in advance of her retirement as Executive Director, with Help Lesotho now in its 20^th year. More than 1000 program alumni, international partners and community leaders attended the Lesotho celebrations in March 2023 to pay tribute to the multi-generational impact of Help Lesotho’s programming.

Herbert was recognized by Lesotho’s constitutional monarch, King Letsie III, on March 17; “Underpinning all Help Lesotho’s remarkable achievements is all the love and commitment that Mother Peg is known for,” said the King, speaking in Sesotho, outside one of Help Lesotho’s two community centres.

Herbert’s legacy lives on through Help Lesotho’s ongoing impact under the leadership of Executive Director Kate Lambert.

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Motopi is a Professional Intern (PI) with Help Lesotho. As part of his role, Motopi oversees the Smart Kids Project, an initiative which equips volunteer youth alumni from Help Lesotho’s programs to provide education and psychosocial support to vulnerable children in their villages. To get a better sense of the impact of the project and the importance of our new 4300 Kids campaign, Motopi answered a few questions below.

What is the Smart Kids project all about? (Motopi) The project was started in 2021 during the covid-19 lock-down restrictions whereby children were going to school on weekly intervals or schedule. For instance, they would go to school only once a week and teachers would give them lots of homework for them to work on while they are at home. It came in place to assist these children with all their school because most of them are staying in child headed families or are living with their grandparents or guardians who are mostly not educated, thus making it tough for them to assist. In other words, this is a literacy project that aims at helping children in their school work and providing social-emotional support.

How important do you think this project is? (Motopi) This project has shown great importance to children both academically and psychologically as the Alumni volunteers do not only assist with home works but also provide basic psychosocial support by listening to children’s different problems and be their support system. It is important to mention that most parents or guardians are not always there to listen to their children’s problem such as peer bullying and thus making it difficult for children to seek comfort. The volunteers have become their support system in times where they give them comfort, space and time to vent about things that bother them, and also to celebrate their successes with them such as celebrating improved marks at school.

What kinds of positive changes have you seen in the kids? (Motopi) This project is not only seeing improved grades in those who are attending schools but it has ignited the spark for those who had dropped out to go back to school. It is attracting a lot of attention from children and parents to an extend in some communities, one volunteers is having over 50 children participating in their sessions because all nearby villages are encouraging their children to attend. For example, there are five volunteers of which each of them is seeing over fifty children in their sessions.

Can you speak about how imperative this initiative was while schools were closed because of COVID-19? (Motopi) During covid-19 lock-down restrictions, in the sessions, volunteers included covid-19 prevention measures such as social distancing, sanitizing or washing hands and putting on masks to keep them safe. They even created songs out of these measures just as to make sure that they never forget how to protect themselves, those around them and also where they can get assistance if they suspect that they are infected such as reporting to teachers, guardians and consulting with the doctors. This initiative did not only help to curb the covid-19 infections but also brought cohesion among children and parents in the communities. These children used the after school sessions as educational platforms where they would come together and help each other with school work and also shared their things with the vulnerable ones. For instance, some would identify that one of them does not have a uniform or school shoes and then they would give them their older ones.

How have things changed now that the schools are open? What is the reaction from parents and community members about this project? (Motopi) Support visits were started after the covid-19 restrictions were eased/removed which aimed at visiting volunteers in their sessions to assess the impact of the project on children. It is through these visits that we also conducted parents meetings to hear the take from the parents and guardians, and also assist them to further understand the project. Parents, guardians, community leaders, teachers and health workers showed that the project has being of create help for them because they do not have enough time to help children with school work as some are working nine(9) hours jobs such as factory workers who leave at 6:00am and comeback at 6:00pm already having to prepare for the following day. They also take the sessions as safe home for their children because even on weekends they know that their children are safe there with an adult. This also includes the fact that their children are able to share personal troubles with the volunteers and thus, making it easy for the parents to know them, work on improving their relationships and find mitigation strategies for the problems. For all these reasons, they hope the project will continue for many years to come.

What is the impact of this project on the alumni who volunteer their time? (Motopi) This work made the Alumni volunteers feel valued in their communities because parents recognized their assistance and deemed them as leaders. Most of these volunteers are unemployed, so they found these after school/weekend sessions giving them a purpose of waking up every day and get busy like other people. Some of them realized their potential in teaching career and they have gone to tertiary schools to pursue the teaching careers. Some have seen increased support from community members in their small scale businesses such as selling beauty products or vegetables. These volunteers are also getting psychological support through facilitation of PSS modules and One-on-One sessions from Help Lesotho staff as they are given opportunity to share their personal concerns and struggles through WhatsApp and phone calls.

What do you hope the future of the Smart Kids project looks like? (Motopi) I personally hope the project can be blessed with a good funding so that it can be big enough to cover all 10 districts because it has shown that most children are benefiting a lot from it. It has reduced the literacy gap between children attending private and public schools because it in at this platforms whereby they all learn the same thing and pull each other up. We are having children who are in grade 6 who cannot read or write but through this project we have managed to bridge that gap in the communities it is covering, therefore calling attention from those others that it does not cover and they are hoping that they can also get the similar assistance. As for the Alumni volunteers, there is a long list of them who also want to participate in this project as it does not only give them a purpose in life but also work experience in working with children.

Lesotho has one of the highest suicide rates per capita (possibly the highest) in the world. Data sources vary slightly in the global rankings, but Lesotho is undoubtedly the highest ranked country in Africa.

The rate of suicide in Lesotho is the clearest indication of a mental health crisis. Despite this, Lesotho continues without a national mental health response strategy. Overall, mental health is barely acknowledged and the social stigma of getting help is so severe that people feel better off suffering alone or making the devastating decision to take their own lives. Decades of poverty, grief and loss brought about by the AIDS pandemic, few employment opportunities and overall feelings of hopelessness for the future are major contributors to the crisis.

Lesotho differs from many other countries in the gender breakdown of suicide rates. While nearly all countries report higher male suicide rates, Lesotho has a significantly higher female suicide rate. Once the context of Lesotho’s excruciatingly high rate of gender-based violence is considered (at least 86% of women have experienced violence in their lives), there is a clear window on the overwhelming pain, stress, shame, and burden carried by Basotho women. These women are disproportionately burdened by unemployment, household responsibilities and caring for family members, contributing to steep financial disparities. HIV prevalence is roughly four times higher among young females (ages 20-24). Adolescent girls and young women are the ones to suffer the consequences of teenage pregnancy and early marriage. For many of Lesotho’s women, cultural and familial expectations for them to care for others, keep quiet about abuse, work in terrible conditions or not at all, and have almost no decision-making power in their relationships is simply too much to bare.

In every Help Lesotho program, there are beneficiaries who have seriously contemplated suicide; many have tried. Universally, it is estimated that for every person who dies by suicide, another twenty people made attempts. Every single one of our beneficiaries has had a personal experience with suicide, often within their family or close friend group. Despite suicide permeating so many aspects of Basotho society, almost no one talks about it. Help Lesotho is making strides to break this taboo by opening the door to conversations about trauma, grief, abuse, isolation, discrimination and depression.

The ultimate goal of Help Lesotho’s programs is to help participants build their RESILIENCE. Resilience is a cornerstone of mental health. Having resilience makes people less likely to see suicide as the only answer to their problems.

Tlotliso is a twenty-seven-year-old female graduate from Help Lesotho’s 2022 Leaders-in-Training program. After gaining the support and trust of others in the program, Tlotliso felt compelled to share her incredible story of enduring three violent attacks, the first at just ten years old, followed by several attempts to end her life.

“Though a series of things happened to me I am now able to talk about them in chapters or episodes. Some of the memories are only coming back to me now and for me that is a sign of healing. I am now in control of my emotions and handle debates or arguments better.

I had declared my life a failure and never saw any point in living. Now, I see that the world needs me to stop holding my silence.

I told my loved ones stories about my life without fear of being judged and the response was heartwarming. I got the feedback that I never expected, the support and resonance stood out. I publicly told my story, and all went in tears. I could tell it wasn’t just about my noise but they retrieved memories or relived realities. I could tell the world is in more pain than we see, and I carry the responsibility to make changes. I need to speak louder and now I have the confidence. I am a better person and all thanks to Help Lesotho. I run out of words to express gratitude. I am humbled”.

(Photo and story shared with Tlotliso’s permission)

Person-by-person, life-by-life, we are helping people choose to LIVE. Join us.

Additional information:

• https://publiceyenews.com/lesotho-tops-global-suicide-charts-world-bank/
• https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/suicide-rate-by-country
• https://newspatrolling.com/which-country-has-highest-suicide-rate/
• https://bscholarly.com/countries-with-the-highest-suicidal-deaths/

Despite Lesotho being a very low contributor to the causes of climate change, it stands to be among the worst hit countries to suffer the effects.

Climate change acts as a risk multiplier for development, magnifying the root causes of existing challenges. It is well documented that countries currently struggling with gender inequity, poverty, health crises, and limited infrastructure will feel the effects of climate change earlier and harder than countries that can more easily adapt and absorb at least some degree of additional challenges.

In the coming years, Lesotho is likely to become hotter and drier and will continue to experience extreme events like droughts and floods. This will have adverse effects for soil erosion, deforestation, recurrent droughts, desertification, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity. Lesotho already has a fragile ecosystem because of its topography, type and pattern of rainfall, progressive erosion of soils and land use patterns. The spring and summer seasons are characterized by heavy, short-duration downpours and intense storms which can cause soil movement. Lesotho’s winters are cold and dry with no active vegetation growth, further increasing the precious soil’s vulnerability.

These side-by-side images compare a drought-ridden Lesotho with a snow-covered Lesotho. 

Climate change is pushing Lesotho’s already precarious food security to the extreme

All pillars of food security including availability, access, utilization, and stability are already compromised. Despite 80% of the population living in rural areas, their capacity to grow food beyond simple homestead gardens is severely limited by the topography and soil structure. Only 10% of the country’s land is considered arable. Agriculture is predominantly rain-fed, making it vulnerable to droughts and extreme climate variability. Farming has been declining for years due to soil erosion, poor land-use practices and decreasing soil fertility. Lesotho only produces 30% of the maize it requires as the main staple food, with the remaining imported from South Africa. Given the proximity between the two countries, a drought affecting Lesotho is likely to also impact South Africa, as transpired in the 2007 food crisis.

Girls and women are the most affected during climatic shocks

The impact of climate change on females is intrinsically linked to gender inequity and violations of their human rights and dignity.

• Droughts can mean that girls and women must travel further each day searching for water and firewood, increasing their workload, limiting their ability to attend school, earn income and invest in their careers, and exposes them to risks of violence.
• Girls and women are more likely to be living in poverty and have less control over resources, making them more vulnerable to food insecurity. During food and water shortages, girls and women are more likely to sacrifice their own health (by choice and by force) in favour of providing for their spouses, children, or other family members.
• The stress of natural disasters and food insecurity destabilizes patriarchal relationships, often leading to increased gender-based violence at the hands of stressed men.
• Desperate families unable to feed their daughters often resort to early/forced marriages as a means of ridding themselves of another mouth to feed.
• Environmental stressors lead to the rise of organizations that engage in human trafficking and extreme labour exploitation, most often targeted at girls and women who are vulnerable and desperate.

Lesotho’s efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals pertaining to climate change include adaption mechanisms to improve and diversify livelihoods. The strategy is integrated in the country’s overall development strategies to eliminate poverty and eradicate inequality. Progress on this strategy is limited at best.

Help Lesotho’s Response

Help Lesotho’s efforts towards limiting the devastating effects of climate change focus on building the resilience of vulnerable people so they can better adapt to challenges and make the best possible choices for themselves and their families’ health and safety. Vulnerable people become less vulnerable when they are equipped with confidence, decision making strategies, and belief in themselves as leaders who never give up. Help Lesotho’s mental health approach is a direct strategy to combat the depression and hopelessness often associated with climate change impacts. Additionally, all our programs address gender inequity and develop strategies to target gender-based violence by challenging the socioeconomic norms around the treatment of girls and women. Boys and men are taught to uphold women’s rights and act as role-models and leaders to other men in their schools and communities.

Cows graze on dry grass in a Lesotho field during a period of extreme drought.

References:

http://www.thereporter.co.ls/2022/01/25/dma-warns-of-severe-hunger/
https://executiveboard.wfp.org/document_download/WFP-0000129015#:~:text=Impacts%20of%20changes%20in%20temperatures%20and%20rainfall%20patterns%20are%20already,intensity%20of%20droughts%20and%20floods.
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1067989/to-what-extent-does-climate-change-affect-food.html
https://www.adaptation-undp.org/sites/default/files/resources/lesotho_ldcf_cop_21_final_0.pdf
https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/15930-WB_Lesotho%20Country%20Profile-WEB.pdf
https://www.socialnews.xyz/2022/05/31/soil-erosion-key-driver-of-wetland-degradation-in-lesotho/