Protecting our communities from COVID-19

Letšeng is located in a remote and inaccessible part of Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains. These communities rely heavily upon migrant labour, with the majority of villagers travelling for employment within Lesotho, as well as to South Africa and other parts of southern Africa; this makes these communities extremely vulnerable should a resident import the virus into their community.

In response to the immediate needs of our PACs we allocated CSI funds towards food aid and PPE provision to combat the spread of COVID-19. Approximately 1000 food parcels, consisting of numerous food staples as well as seeds, were distributed to community members in our PACs. We also distributed PPE, including masks, soap and hand sanitisers, to 10 villages in the Mokhotlong District. We assisted in training 48 community health workers to lead community awareness programmes and educate PACs about the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the importance of social distancing and proper hygiene

In partnership with the Government of Lesotho, we ensured maximum social benefit by contributing to national priorities and efforts to combat COVID-19. We donated a four-room mobile structure to the Ministry of Health to use as a COVID-19 testing lab in Maseru, and will continue to support and assist the Government of Lesotho in its efforts to manage the pandemic's impact, including doing what we can to facilitate access to effective vaccination programmes.