Lesotho is a small, land-locked country completely surrounded by South Africa, with a population of just under two-million people. Rugged and mountainous, it is also known as the Mountain Kingdom and is about the size of Belgium, Taiwan or the US state of Maryland.

Lesotho was a British protectorate until independence in 1966, and is a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected government.

The economy of Lesotho is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, remittances from migrant miners working South Africa, a developing diamond industry and the textile and apparel sector. Lesotho is ranked as a Least Developed Country

For decades men have left their homes in Lesotho to work on South Africa’s mines. Women were left to fend for themselves, working the land and bringing up their children while waiting for remittances. Female-headed households were and are still common. One of the consequences of this migrant labour system is the high prevalence of HIV-AIDS among women in Lesotho.

The clothing industry is now the largest employer in the country, even surpassing the civil service. More than 46 000 workers are employed and more than 80% are women.

For more information on Lesotho go to:

• Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation: www.ltdc.org.ls
• Lesotho National Development Corporation: www.lndc.org.ls
• Lesotho Government: www.lesotho.gov.ls