The echoes of hardship are fading as the “Metsi a Lesotho Rural WASH Program” begins to transform lives and learning environments in rural Lesotho.
A vivid illustration of this change unfolded at Seberetlane Primary School and St. Sebastian’s High School, where the lack of clean water and sanitation created daily challenges for students and teachers.
Now, thanks to this collaborative initiative, a new chapter of dignity and hope is being written.
The “Metsi a Lesotho Rural WASH Program,” a five-year endeavour uniting the Government of Lesotho, the European Union, and UNICEF Lesotho, is making significant strides in ensuring universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) across the nation.
The official rollout of the program, celebrated at St. Sebastian’s High School, marks a turning point for countless communities and schools that have long endured the burden of inadequate WASH facilities.
Libuseng Nyakane, the principal of Seberetlane Primary School, established in 1938, vividly described the school’s past struggles.
For years, students and teachers faced a daily ordeal.
For all these years since the school was established, she hardly remembers if they used to have proper toilets or even clean water for drinking and cooking.
Nyakane told journalists during a tour showcasing the newly constructed toilets and a clean water tap brought close to the school that the lack of access to clean water led to conflict and health risks.
“As a result of lack of water, we would also resort to unsafe water sources where in other cases we will see cases waterborne diseases including diarrhea,” Nyakane recounted.
The school relied on a community tap, but even that was not a reliable solution.
For many years school pupil’s depended on the community tap to get water which in some other days she would get reports that community members do not want children there.
Sanitation was an even greater challenge.
“When it comes to toilets, we once got a donation of few toilets for girls in our school but those did not last us because their doors were stolen and were never recovered. This left our girls with little privacy and soon the walls also fell and the journey of going to the bushes to relieve ourselves when nature calls began,” Nyakane explained.
Nyakane said this posed both safety and health risks. “This has been a terrible experience because in some cases children would be chased from the bush by community members who claimed the kids were polluting their land while they had no option.”
According to Nyakane, the lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities also deeply impacted the girls. This resulted in many girls especially in grade seven who would miss schools so that they could feel free at home apart from coming to school where they do not have privacy.
Nyakane also shared the discomfort and shame that teachers and students experienced when forced to relieve themselves in the bush.
“It was always a shameful experience when a teacher and a students would meet by the bush to answer to nature,” she said.
St. Sebastian’s High School, Seberetlane Primary School’s sister school, faced similar challenges.
While they had toilets for teachers and girls, they were in poor condition. The girls toilets at St. Sebastian’s are filled with a strong odor welcoming one from a distance.
As one enters the toilets, there is darkness preventing one to see properly. The seats are wrecked and in some of them one needs seats on the cement.
Boys, like their counterparts at Seberetlane, had no option but to go the bushes.
Deepak Bhaskaran, UNICEF Lesotho Representative, emphasised the transformative power of the “Metsi a Lesotho” program.
“It is an honour to stand with you here today at St. Sebastian’s High School as you mark an important milestone towards the universal access of water, sanitation, and hygiene,” he stated.
He highlighted the program’s commitment to not only building infrastructure but also fostering dignity and equality. This initiative is not only about hardware, it’s not only about infrastructure, it is about laying the foundation of stronger institutions and more resilient systems.
Ngozi Kennedy, from UNICEF Lesotho, echoed the program’s broader impact saying it aims to improve access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene services for people living in rural areas and stressed the importance of community ownership and sustainability.
The Minister of Education and Training, Ntoi Rapapa, underscored the link between WASH and education saying without proper wash facilities, that is toilets and potable water, children face tremendous obstacles for attending school regularly and learning effectively.
He highlighted the program’s crucial role in ensuring that all children, especially girls, can attend school with dignity and confidence.
“On this Menstrual Hygiene Day, we acknowledge the critical needs of women especially from rural areas and realise that they need access to clean water and have access the critical need to break the silence and stigma around menstruation and to provide girls and women with the support and facilities they need to manage their menstrual health with confidence and dignity,” he said.
EU Ambassador to Lesotho, Paola Amadei, expressed that, this commitment translates, among others, in efforts to ensure the people have access to clean water, such as the water pipes and sanitation facilities for the 165 students as well as teachers at the St Sebastian High School.
Metsi a Lesotho is a joint undertaking by the Government of Lesotho, the EU and UNICEF which contributes with technical expertise and additional financial resources.
Amadei said to date, 50 sites are under construction in the districts of Maseru, Mohale’s Hoek, and Thaba Tseka, which is the objective for year one.
Katleho Mabeleng, the Member of Parliament for Hloahloeng, acknowledged the hardships he witnessed firsthand in schools lacking WASH facilities and urged the community to protect the new infrastructure.
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.
