Help Lesotho
Life skills training, mental health support, and secondary school sponsorship for young people in one of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries.
See how you can help↓
WHAT HELP LESOTHO DOES
Education and Emotional Support, Side by Side
Primary school is free in Lesotho, but secondary school is not. For rural families, that is often where a child’s education stops. Help Lesotho’s Child Sponsorship Programme steps in here, pairing a sponsor with a rural student. The school fee comes with psychosocial care and life skills, so children stay in school, not just start it. Every sponsorship includes:
Since 2021, Sawabona Africa has continued the work of Yes We Care! e.V., which closed at the end of 2021.
Why Lesotho
The odds children face
Every sponsorship works against harsh realities: poverty, high adult HIV rates, widespread gender-based violence and a suicide rate well above the global average. These are the realities many children are born into:
50%
live in poverty
25%
of adults are HIV-positive
86%
of girls & women report gender-based violence
10×
the global average suicide rate
HELP LESOTHO'S IMPACT
Help Lesotho in Numbers.
150
children reached per Leadership Camp
82%
of staff are Help Lesotho graduates
25,000+
people reached yearly across Lesotho
HOW CAN YOU HELP
Sponsorship first. Two lighter ways to give.
Child Sponsorship is our priority ask. Every undirected donation goes straight to the Education Fund.
SPONSOR A CHILD - PRIORITY
Child Sponsorship
€35
/ month or €425 / year
Covers one student’s secondary school fees, uniform, life skills training, psychosocial support, and a place at the annual Leadership Camp.
You’ll receive: a child profile and two letters a year
OTHER WAYS TO HELP HELP LESOTHO
€150
/ year or €10 / month
Not tied to one child. Funds a place at the five-day Leadership Camp: workshops, counselling, sport and meals.
Your choice
of amount
No commitment, no specific child. Donations go to the Education Fund: exam fees and interim school costs for children waiting for a sponsor.
Questions about supporting help lesotho
Specific to this Project
How long am I committing to as a sponsor?
We recommend seeing a student through to the end of secondary school, since that continuity is part of what makes the psychosocial support meaningful. Sawabona Africa commits to each child’s ongoing support regardless of any single sponsor’s circumstances.
What is the difference between sponsorship and the Education Fund?
Sponsorship is a direct, ongoing link to one student, with a child profile and two letters a year. The Education Fund is undirected and covers costs for children still waiting for a sponsor.
Is the Leadership Camp included in sponsorship, or separate?
Yes, a camp place is included in sponsorship (€35 a month or €425 a year). You can also fund the camp separately.
How do I pay?
Monthly or yearly. In Germany: SEPA mandate or recurring bank transfer.
Help Lesotho is a Canadian Organisation. Does my donation get sent to Canada?
No. Donations go directly to Lesotho. Reporting is overseen by the Canadian team.
A little of our history with Help Lesotho
How We came to Them
The end of the charity organization Yes we care! e.V. had to be decided on 31.12.2021. Countless needy children in Lesotho were able to benefit from various Yes We Care! e.V. projects and will continue to do so in the future. Former sponsored students from the Yes We Care! e.V. child sponsorship program managed to get a tertiary education and are now in well-paying jobs. Yes We Care! e.V. worked for over 10 years in close cooperation with the Canadian aid organization Help Lesotho.
Sawabona Africa e.V. has brought Help Lesotho under its umbrella to ensure a continuation of support for needy children in Lesotho to be helped with school education through individual donations or sponsorships.
We are pleased that we have a board member from Yes We Care! as part of our membership team to ensure continuity and provide insights.