As Lesotho undergoes its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Human Rights Council, which began on Monday this week and runs through May 9, the nation is highlighting a powerful story of progress in its battle against child mortality.
The government’s national report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council reveals a consistent drop in child deaths over recent years, driven by bold government policies and unwavering support from international partners.
In 2020, Lesotho recorded 57.39 child deaths per 1,000 live births, a notable decline from the previous year. By 2021, the rate fell further to 55.183, followed by 52.826 in 2022, and reached 50.470 in 2023, a remarkable 4.46 percent drop from the prior year.
The government’s report attributes improvements to the Roadmap for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal and Newborn Mortality, developed with UN support.
The initiative introduced mobile clinics in industrial zones, aimed at reaching factory workers, most of whom are women, with basic health services, immunisations, and nutrition support.
Behind these efforts lies a coalition of international allies, including UNICEF, the European Union (EU), the World Bank, and USAID, providing critical technical and financial backing.
Their support has extended beyond health, with the EU funding a World Vision Lesotho project to rehabilitate five children’s courts.
These courts, now meeting international standards, have slashed case backlogs, earning praise from magistrates and strengthening protections for vulnerable children. The Child and Gender Protection Unit has also benefited, handling cases with greater efficiency.
The government also noted in its report that Lesotho has committed to fast track the 95-95-95 targets by 2025, and is working towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“The government collaborates with the National AIDS Commission (NAC) which provides strategic leadership and governance to ensure that Lesotho does not lose the gains of the past, but also expand them to secure a sustainable future,” the report read.
“To achieve these results the government scaled up the national response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic by reviewing the National HIV/AIDS Policy in 2019,” it added.
It stated that the Ministry of Health developed the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2018/2019–2022/2023 to implement the policy and build an enabling environment to reach the targets.
Moreover, according to the report, the strategic plan has a specific youth component as part of its behaviour change strategy. It indicated that this has led to a variety of HIV awareness campaigns aimed at 15–24 year olds across the country.
“For example, the Kick 4 Life campaign, which uses football to bring HIV prevention messages to young people, has enabled more than 100,000 participants to access health education and life skills activities and connected 25,000 young people to HIV testing,” it read.
“Additionally, from October 2024, to strengthen the health care system, USAID is supporting the Ministry of Health with $34m for a period of 5 years. This adds to efforts addressing pressing health challenges, with a focus on HIV/AIDS prevention,” it added.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
