Communities in and around Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho, have been greatly impacted by the combined devastating effects of poverty, joblessness and HIV/AIDS. The traditional community that embraced a culture of caring for one another has been largely eroded by the struggles mentioned above.

The city is grossly overpopulated with many coming from the mountains, seeking employment and finding a culture very different from the one the Basotho have known for many years. Many wonder te streets of Maseru seeking work and many family units have only one breadwinner providing for their every need. There are an estimated 180,000 orphans (10% of population) living in Lesotho and this adds to an already burdened social structure.

One of our aims as Beautiful Gate Lesotho, from our centre just 5 kilometers out of the city, is to use community workers to set up income-generating and skills training projects aimed at orphans or carers of these same orphans, providing an opportunity for them to make an income and provide for their families. This would in turn lead to the orphans being cared for within their families rather than being institutionalized. 2009 should see the launch of at least 1 if not more of these projects.  Watch this space!