In Lesotho:
Mpho Nyesemane
t: +266 2232 2159
f: +266 2232 2159
e: leswales@lesoff.co.za

Key Contact:
Flora Mokhitli, Chairperson, National Curriculum Development Centre
t: +266 5891 5480
e: fmokhitli@yahoo.co.uk

Makomosela Qhobela, Deputy Chairperson
e: qhobela@yahoo.com

Postal Address:
Private Bag 55
Maseru 100
Lesotho

Physical Address:
Mabile Road, Old Europa, Maseru

In Wales
Jon Trew, Executive Director
t: +44 2920 497 390
e: swyddfa@dolencymru.org

Postal Address Wales:
Dolen Cymru
Enterprise House
Bute Street
Cardiff
CF10 5LE
UK

International NGO

Two

18 programmatic and administrative volunteers, as well as countless teachers, health, parliamentary and NGO volunteers.

Key partners in Lesotho include:

• Government of Lesotho
• CHAL
• Lesotho Homemakers Association

Key partners in Wales include:

• Dolen Cymru
• Welsh Assembly Government
• National Health Services of Wales(NHS)

Wales Lesotho Link has a presence in all 10 districts.
Specific towns / villages are:
Berea: centre, Lekoaneng, Mesapela, Sefakeng
Butha-Buthe: centre, Mokhunoane, Mooteng
Leribe: centre, Likhakeng, Khanyane, Qoqolosing, Mositi, Maputsoe, Moselinyane, Peka
Mafeteng: centre
Maseru: centre, Roma, Thababosieu, Matieng, Morija
Mohales Hoek: centre
Mokhotlong: centre, Malubalube
Qachas Nek: centre
Quthing: centre, Mt.Moorosi, Pakane
Thaba-Tseka: centre

The mission of the Wales Lesotho Link is to promote friendship and understanding between the people of Lesotho and Wales. Lesotho and Wales are 'twinned' countries, the first such twinning between whole countries in the world.

The program began in 1985 but when the project office opened in 1999, the programme became very active. Current core programme areas include education, health, parliament, and NGO exchanges.

Education: This includes the exchange programme in which teachers from Wales and Lesotho visit the other country to share teaching expertise. There is also the Lesotho Teachers Placement Program, in which teachers from Wales visit Lesotho to teach in a school for up to 6-months or longer. This programme started in 2006 and has since placed more than 30 teachers from Wales in schools throughout Lesotho.

Health: The health programme brings health professionals from Wales to Lesotho to create a link between the Welsh National Health Service and Lesotho's health services in order to exchange skills and ideas. Professionals from Wales may work with the Ministry of Health, CHAL, or at local hospitals providing HR support, clinical advice and management expertise to help strengthen health institutions. The programme is designed to respond to specific needs in Lesotho.

A hospital twinning programme is being developed between Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru adn the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Staff exchange visits are planned with health professionals from Wales spending time working at Queen II.

Quthing Hospital and district are being 'twinned' with a hospital in the north of Wales.

Parliament: This programme began in 2003 when a delegation of 4 Lesotho Parliamentary members visited Wales to observe the Welsh Assembly Government elections.

In 2005, 2 members of the Welsh Assembly Government came to Lesotho on a return visit to help establish working groups and committees within the Parliament. Further exchange visits have followed to promote the country to country 'twinning'.

NGO Exchange: Link between individual NGOs in Lesotho and Wales to share ideas with families hosting visitors in their own homes.

Future plans for Wales Lesotho link include:

• To establish and kick-off a Youth Committee in Lesotho to help young people work together and help each other as a cohesive group.
• Begin village-to-village training, starting in Hlotse, Leribe. Focuses of training will be on elderly care in hospitals and communities (i.e.- the need for separate clinics for elderly needs and additional services), as well as training on establishment of community recreation center and community library.
• To expand the hospital twinning programme to Roma and smaller, comparable hospitals in Wales.
• To promote e-mentoring between health professionals in Lesotho and Wales.