Help Lesotho Founder Dr. Peg Herbert
Continue reading to learn more about her story.
Dr. Peg Herbert is the Canadian Founder of the international non-profit organization, Help Lesotho (2004) and was its Executive Director for its first nineteen years. Herbert’s work in Lesotho, southern Africa has gained international attention in highlighting the plight of the Basotho people, dealing with HIV/AIDS, poverty, access to education, mental health support, and gender equity issues. She is a passionate speaker known for motivating audiences to feel connected to global issues and helping those who need it most.
Education and Professional Background
Dr. Herbert graduated from Queen’s University (BA Psychology), and the University of Ottawa (MA, PhD Educational Psychology). Following a career supporting vulnerable populations as a social worker, Dr. Herbert taught graduate courses at the University of Ottawa for 10 years before starting Help Lesotho. She has mentored hundreds of young people and young professionals, both in Canada and Lesotho, to become community leaders.
Help Lesotho
Peg’s vision for Help Lesotho was to both provide the support and agency to create healthy and self-sustaining futures for youth in Lesotho who have the resilience, commitment and skills to stop gender-based violence, protect human rights, reduce HIV discrimination and ultimately create a brighter future for Lesotho. Since 2004, hundreds of thousands of rural orphans, pregnant teens, young mothers, herd boys, youth, grandmothers, police officers, and villagers have benefitted from Help Lesotho’s programs, developed by and in partnership between Dr. Herbert and local communities.
Peg’s Work
The success of Help Lesotho in addressing the multiple challenges faced by people in Lesotho is in part due to the continuous training programs Dr. Herbert developed and implemented to build an extremely talented team of 45 Basotho staff who deliver life skills workshops, psychosocial support and community outreach to over thousands of beneficiaries annually. Dr. Herbert has cumulatively spent years on the ground in Lesotho improving program impact, developing staff capacity, listening to beneficiaries, developing partnerships and ensuring financial accountability.
Since her first trip to Lesotho, in which the life expectancy was 34, Dr. Herbert rallied thousands of faithful donors across Canada and around the world to fund innovative programs and projects. She is an inspiring advocate for marginalized populations, beneficiary-led programming and advocacy work. She has worked tirelessly to use her professional expertise and experience to create educational programs that heal wounded hearts to build resilience, enhance participants’ cognitive development to promote self-management and develop leadership for all program beneficiaries to take action for the benefit of others.
Dr. Herbert has built deep, lasting relationships with individuals all over the globe to raise awareness and provide concrete support to the vulnerable people of this small mountain kingdom.
She speaks to diverse audiences on the situation in Lesotho and how individuals, churches, groups, corporations, families and individuals can engage with sustainable international development. She has hosted both the King of Lesotho, Help Lesotho Honorary Patron, His Majesty King Letsie III, and Her Majesty Queen Masenate and Princess Senate for separate visits to Canada to thank Help Lesotho supporters and raise awareness about the importance of gender equity. Her connection to the royal family is personal as well as professional.
Dr. Herbert retired in May 2023, yet continues her passion for Help Lesotho and its donors and beneficiaries in her continuing support for and relationships with staff and donors.
Awards
Dr. Herbert is the recipient of numerous awards including: the Distinguished Women of Ottawa Award; Canadian Governor General Meritorious Service Cross; Women of Influence Award Ottawa; a nominee for the national top 25 Canadian Champions of Change Award; Women of Distinction Award: Business, Professional and Public Sector and National Child’s Day Woman of the Village Award.
In April 2025, Peg was honoured as one of Ottawa’s Femmes Remarquables – Distinguished Women.
“The work has changed lives among our donors too, as they discover the joy of making a huge difference to individuals and communities and who believe as we do that it is possible to make sustainable change in Africa – one day at a time!”