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29 October 2002 by Pia Caspersen in Johannesburg Sekantsi Khanyapa slings a 50 kg bag of maize on the back of his skinny brown horse. "Because of the drought we got almost nothing from the harvest this year. The food finished a long time ago," he says despondently. "This has to be enough for my family until we get a new food ration next month," says Sekantsi, who is wrapped in the big colourful blanket typically worn by men in this mountainous land. He explains that he has eight children at home. "But three of them are not mine. They are my brother's orphans. Both he and his wife passed away recently." Sekantsi's brother worked down the mines in South Africa. A couple of years ago he fell ill and returned to Lesotho. When asked about his brother's diagnosis, he shakes his head: "I don't know. He changed colour and had painful wounds. His wife died of TB. That's all I know." This scenario is not unique. An estimated 31 per cent of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS, yet few allow the word AIDS to pass their lips. John Mposi, District Secretary of the eastern Mokhotlong Red Cross says the tiny kingdom of Lesotho, with its 2 million inhabitants, faces an enormous problem. "This terrible disease is taboo and 90 per cent of cases are kept secret. People do not want to expose their sickness," Mposi says. "You do not talk about sex. A father does not talk to his son about sex - that's just the way it is." He explains that around 35 per cent of male wage earners used to work in South Africa, mostly in the mines. Away from their wives, many turned to prostitutes and many got infected with HIV. Once they became too ill to work, they returned to their villages. Because they were not always aware that the disease is sexual transmitted, many infected their wives. According to the most recent UN figures, an estimated 250,000 people in Lesotho are living with the disease. Last year, 25,000 people died of AIDS. The pandemic is exacerbating the effects of the chronic food shortages being experienced in Lesotho and other countries across southern Africa. Drought and hailstorms have reduced harvests by a third, leaving 600,000 people in need of food aid by Christmas. With support from the International Federation, the Lesotho Red Cross is trying to help those families hardest hit by these converging crises - those taking care of orphans or having to deal with sick family members. The elderly and disabled people are also among those receiving food rations. The village of Jorose, which lies 3000 metres above sea level, has been hit both by famine and sickness. About a dozen round ochre-coloured huts with thatched roofs surround a couple of dusty trees. Brown mountains stretch as far as the eye can see against a blue sky. Below, in the valley, small patches of dark soil reveal the few fields that have been ploughed. The men say they hope the next harvest, in March or April, will be better. But until then, they will be fully dependent on food from outside. Asked about HIV/AIDS, Thabo Setubata's face takes on a serious expression: "We are not quite sure about the disease. We only know that many have passed away. Young people just die. It is very frightening, but we do not know how to prevent it," he says. To deal with the problem the authorities in Mokhotlong district have established an AIDS Task Force. Volunteers are being trained to go to remote villages and teach people, especially the young people, how they can protect themselves by using condoms. "During our home-based care programmes, we train volunteers to teach family members how to care for a parent who has AIDS without getting infected," says Reekeletsoe Machosi, one of the volunteers and a member of Lesotho Red Cross. "But people must learn to talk openly about the disease, otherwise we will never be able to stop the vicious circle." Related Links: Southern Africa Food Crisis Southern Africa Food Crisis: Appeals and updates Make a donation |
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