The following blog post was written on the evening of 3 July 2008. can!
The visit to the U.S. Embassy in Lesotho was very different from our visit a few days ago to the embassy in South Africa, which could be explained by a variety of factors. First, this embassy is much smaller, in terms of the facility size and the number of staff members. Second, Lesotho is a relatively small country. Third, the work done in Lesotho by the U.S. government is primarily humanitarian aid, opposed to the larger political objectives expressed in South Africa.
For these reasons and more, we were warmly greeted at the embassy and the spent about an hour with Ambassador Rob Nolen himself, which was very nice of him.
He explained that the largest objective of the embassy in Lesotho is HIV/AIDS work. Lesotho has the 3rd highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Of those individuals 15-49, about 25% are HIV+ and for those between the ages of 25-35 it is believed that the rate could be as high as 40%.
In fact, it was expected that the population of Lesotho would have reached 2.2 million by 2008, but instead there are only 1.8 Besotho. This is due to the high number of AIDS related deaths. AIDS deaths are also deeply hurting the education system, because in many places there are simply not enough teachers. Once a teacher dies, there is nobody to replace them (although Peace Corps members to help train new teachers).
It is clear upon entering Lesotho they have a different approach to HIV/AIDS than South Africa. Right across the border you can’t help but notice the large billboards expressing the importance of condom usage-something that we saw none of in South Africa. The statistic support the need to address this problem, it was said by the Ambassador that if the HIV/AIDS rates do not change Lesotho will no longer be able to function as a country.
The PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has provided Lesotho with $13million in funds to educate about HIV/AIDS. Ambassador Nolan hoped for an additional $15 million to fund a comprehensive prevention program.
Overall, the Ambassador was very gracious. The spent a lot of time with us, answered our questions completely, and feel comfortable having him represent the U.S. in diplomatic relations.
He also re-invited us to the BBQ on the 5th of July that is hosted by the Embassy for all Americans (and their friends) in Lesotho. It should be fun and we are looking forward to Saturday (a fun day is planned with a long hike in the morning and a party in the afternoon).
The visit to the U.S. Embassy in Lesotho was very different from our visit a few days ago to the embassy in South Africa, which could be explained by a variety of factors. First, this embassy is much smaller, in terms of the facility size and the number of staff members. Second, Lesotho is a relatively small country. Third, the work done in Lesotho by the U.S. government is primarily humanitarian aid, opposed to the larger political objectives expressed in South Africa.
For these reasons and more, we were warmly greeted at the embassy and the spent about an hour with Ambassador Rob Nolen himself, which was very nice of him.
He explained that the largest objective of the embassy in Lesotho is HIV/AIDS work. Lesotho has the 3rd highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Of those individuals 15-49, about 25% are HIV+ and for those between the ages of 25-35 it is believed that the rate could be as high as 40%.
In fact, it was expected that the population of Lesotho would have reached 2.2 million by 2008, but instead there are only 1.8 Besotho. This is due to the high number of AIDS related deaths. AIDS deaths are also deeply hurting the education system, because in many places there are simply not enough teachers. Once a teacher dies, there is nobody to replace them (although Peace Corps members to help train new teachers).
It is clear upon entering Lesotho they have a different approach to HIV/AIDS than South Africa. Right across the border you can’t help but notice the large billboards expressing the importance of condom usage-something that we saw none of in South Africa. The statistic support the need to address this problem, it was said by the Ambassador that if the HIV/AIDS rates do not change Lesotho will no longer be able to function as a country.
The PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has provided Lesotho with $13million in funds to educate about HIV/AIDS. Ambassador Nolan hoped for an additional $15 million to fund a comprehensive prevention program.
Overall, the Ambassador was very gracious. The spent a lot of time with us, answered our questions completely, and feel comfortable having him represent the U.S. in diplomatic relations.
He also re-invited us to the BBQ on the 5th of July that is hosted by the Embassy for all Americans (and their friends) in Lesotho. It should be fun and we are looking forward to Saturday (a fun day is planned with a long hike in the morning and a party in the afternoon).
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