Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Nine things about Lesotho - the country 'nobody has ever heard of'
At a joint session of Congress on March 4, US President Donald Trump mocked Lesotho while criticizing some U.S. foreign aid contracts as a waste of money, saying, “… the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.” What is Lesotho, and where is it? The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa with a population of around two million. The lowest point of Lesotho is 1,400 meters, and most of the country lies above 1,800 meters. It became independent from the UK in 1966. The majority of households subsist on farming. The formal sector employment consists mainly of female workers in the apparel sector and male migrant labourers, primarily in South Africa. The country has the world's highest suicide rate and one of the highest rates of HIV prevalence, with 240,000 people currently on antiretroviral treatment. The US government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to help the country deal with HIV since 2006, including for prevention, care, and treatment services. However, the Trump administration suspended the US-funded health programs, which would affect 1,500 health workers, including doctors and nurses, affecting HIV/AIDS treatment, TB prevention, and maternal health services. Now, the name and the situation of the landlocked African nation are heard by many around the world.
Read the article and learn about a small African state that was mentioned by the US President before Congress.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdnv6gpezjo
No comments:
Post a Comment