Head of Organisation:
Dr. Ahmed Magan
Country Representative
t: +266 2231 5801
amagan@unicef.org

Key Lesotho Contact:
Mr. Aberra Bekele
Deputy Representative
t: +266 2231 5801
f: +266 2231 0248
abekele@unicef.org

Postal Address:
Private Bag A171
Maseru 100
Lesotho

Physical Address:
13 United Nations Road
Maseru

International NGO

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GoL (Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Home Affairs, National University of Lesotho, National AIDS Commission, AIDS Select Committee for Parliamentarian), NGOs (Baylor College of Medicine Childrens Foundation, World Vision International, Christian Health Association of Lesotho, Good Shepherd Sisters, Lesotho Association of Non- Formal Education, Lesotho Network of People living with HIV/AIDS, Lesotho Girl Guides Association, Lesotho Save the Children, Beautiful Gate, Touching Tiny Lives, GROW, Lesotho Association of Play Therapy, NGO Coalition, Justice for Peace, Catholic Relief Services, CARE Lesotho, Touch Root Africa, PHELA, Sentebale, Maseru Children's Village, Clinton Foundation HIV AIDS Initiative, ICAP, EGPAF Crossroads, Mothers to Mothers) and UN Agencies

The core activities that UNICEF supports are identified based on assessment and analysis of the situation of children and women and series of consultations with the Government and development partners. Accordingly the following programmes and activities under each programme represent the main focus of the Government of Lesotho and UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation, 2008 2012:

1. The Child Survival, Care and DevelopmentProgramme
a.The programme provides technical and cash assistance to the MOHSW and other partners to promote better family and community practices using primary health care centres and community based institutions as an entry point and behavioural change communication interventions as tools for engaging families and communities.
b.The programme supports the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and facility and community Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) to improve access to quality of child health, nutrition and care services.
c.To improve child nutrition, the programme focuses on the protection, promotion and support of breast feeding and promotion of appropriate infant and young child feeding practices using well designed behaviour change communication tools. A nation wide vitamin A supplementation linked to de-worming and measles vaccination is also be supported for children aged 6 - 59 months and postpartum women.
d.To contribute to Maternal and Neonatal Mortality reduction, the programme focuses on improving maternal nutrition, antenatal and emergency obstetric care and neonatal care. Since most deliveries take place at home, Community Health Workers are trained in recognition of danger signs and are provided with appropriate tools to support safe and clean delivery.
e.The programme supports scale up of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and paediatric HIV care and treatment through strengthening provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling, referral services, antiretroviral prophylaxis and treatment for pregnant women and their children, and counselling of mothers who are HIV positive on young-child feeding options.

2. The Basic Education for All Programme

a. The programme addresses early learning and parenting education through an integrated approach to Early Childhood Care Development (ECD) through support to the MOET and the MOHSW. Capacity development of parents and communities and development of standards are central to ECD support; It strengthens the initiative started by the Lesotho College of Education on in-service training of ECD teachers and care givers.
b. Increasing access to quality education for all children, especially OVC is another focus of the programme. As part of the Sector Wide Approach, UNICEF supports the development of policies and strategies that would to increased enrolment, retention, completion and transition rates for all children.
c. The programme also supports the MOET to make the school environment, curriculum and teaching methodologies more inclusive, child friendly and gender-sensitive.
d. Support to quality education is enhanced by research to generate knowledge for evidence based programming and support to implementation of the Education Act and updated education policies and related national multi sectoral policies.
e. In the areas of HIV and AIDS, the programme supports life skills-based education through curriculum and extra curricula activities such as clubs to promote increased knowledge and skills on risk reduction among learners. Behaviour change communication tools are used for engaging learners, teachers and other service providers. These interventions are linked to the out of school initiatives so as to strengthen peer education among out of school children/adolescents.

3. The Adolescent HIV Prevention Programme

a. The programme focuses on promoting correct information and equipping adolescents with risk avoidance and reduction skills, building capacity of service providers in terms of adolescent friendly services and creating a sustainable enabling and protective environment.
b. The programme strengthens partnership with the MGYSR, the MOHSW and other government bodies, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs and other relevant stakeholders including adolescents and communities to reach adolescents at grassroots level. It enhances capacity of all relevant service providers to deliver adolescent friendly services at national and district level including Voluntary Counseling and Testing and Sexual Reproductive Health. It also supports development and implementation of a behavioural change communication and social mobilization strategy with a particular focus on HIV prevention among adolescents.
c. The programme also promotes social research to generate knowledge for evidence based programming; support partners to update policy instruments in line with global practices and circumstances of Lesotho; advocacy at policy level for implementation and revision of adolescent related policies and strategies as required.

4. The Policy, Legislation and Social Protection

a. The programme builds capacity of communities and families to protect and care for OVCs by providing economic, psychosocial and other support through existing and newly established infrastructures and mechanisms. This is coupled with support for intensive social mobilization to ensure a supportive family and community environment for OVC to access essential services (including education, health care, birth registration and others).
b. The programme contributes to building the Governments capacity to develop institutional mechanisms for detection and response to violence and abuse coupled with intensive social mobilization and advocacy to strengthen the demand side. A special focus is made on enabling national and local authorities to create and strengthen a system to monitor and report cases of violence against children and women.
c. The programme strengthen capacities of service providers, systems and communities to effectively implement the OVC Policy, and OVC National Action Plan through multi-sectoral collaboration.
d. The programme supports coordination and implementation of national M&E plans to measure access and utilisation of basic services. This is coupled with support to the establishment and implementation of monitoring systems on child protection at national and peripheral levels. The programme assists the government with evidence-based research processes, strengthening of database systems on children, youth and women and support capacity building of research and data collection institutions.
e. The programme supports development, amendment and strengthening of policy and legislative framework related to Child Protection and Welfare legislation; including scaling up of advocacy and social mobilisation interventions to create awareness and ensure equitable allocation of resources; implementation of child related legislation through development of operational regulations and guidelines, especially for costing of the Child Protection and Welfare legislation.

5. Emergency Preparedness and Response:

This is central to UNICEF emergency response strategy with responses focusing mainly on health, nutrition, water supply and sanitation and protection. Emergency Preparedness and Response is mainstreamed across all UNICEF programmes.

Continue to engage and work with the Government and other development partners to implement the above programmes and activities articulated in the five year (2008 2012) Country Programme between the GoL and UNICEF. Adjustment to the activities are made following Mid-term assessment of the progress, analysis of constraints, challenges and lessons learned in the course of programme implementation.