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Lesotho Evangelical Church
The Lesotho Evangelical Church (LEC) is a long-standing partner of Global Ministries and was founded in 1833. Current membership is estimated at 261,350 people. The LEC is comprised of 112 congregations. It maintains seven health centers and two hospitals in the health area. In education, the LEC is responsible for 563 primary and secondary schools, one Bible institute, and one theological seminary.
Lesotho is a small country in Southern Africa, with a population of about 2.2 million people. It is the only country in the world completely surrounded by another country, South Africa. Lesotho's first confirmed AIDS-infected person was identified in 1986, and today the country has an estimated HIV infection rate of 31 percent, placing it among the top five highest-ranking countries in southern Africa. High levels of poverty and unemployment remain the driving forces behind this alarming rate. Lesotho also has the highest rate per population of HIV/AIDS-derived orphans in southern Africa, which means that children who are double-orphans (both parents have died of AIDS) often assume the responsibility of parenting younger siblings. Extended families of these children are often over-extended by taking them in. Often this can result in abuse, inability to provide proper nutrition, and/or an inability to pay for the children's education beyond the country's free primary education program.
The government of Lesotho has recognized that it cannot fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic alone, and has created a national HIV/AIDS policy. The policy emphasizes the need to adhere to the principles of compassion, respect, dignity, and love for all people, regardless of HIV status. The LEC also has developed a holistic policy within its own mandate, and has proposed several projects it feels could make a great difference once resources are available. Such possible projects include:
A Seeds for Survival Project with the goal to improve access to proper nutrition and food security by helping affected families obtain high yield seeds for vegetables and grains;
A Family/Community-based Psycho-Social Support Group Building Project, which would create an enabling environment for affected extended families to meet the basic needs of shelter, love, food, clothing, and nutrition, reducing the strain on "super" extended families;
A Needs-Response Capacity Building Project, that would promote voluntary confidential counseling and testing services, empowering people to know their status and to make informed, positive decisions. It would also assist affected people in acquiring much-needed medication, increase access to health services in church-owned health service facilities, and increase access to education for children who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Despite the desperate need for these services, the resources needed are beyond the church's capacity.
