The Government of Lesotho, together with the European Union, UNICEF Lesotho, and other partners, as part of the 2025 Europe Month commemorations, celebrate a step forward in the Metsi a Lesotho programmes at St. Sabastian High School in Mohale’s Hoek. This event marked the official launch of the first water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities built under this programme. 

Launched in May 2024, Metsi a Lesotho aims to ensure communities in Lesotho have access to clean water and sanitation services, while preserving water and land resources for present and future generations. Investing in a healthier, more sustainable future for everyone in Lesotho, it is designed to provide safe, sustainable, and WASH services to rural communities, schools, and healthcare centres across Lesotho. Metsi a Lesotho is constructing and rehabilitating WASH infrastructure in 250 rural communities, 125 schools, and 15 clinics. These efforts include the development of systems for water collection, treatment, storage, and distribution, as well as sanitation facilities and handwashing stations essential for disease prevention and safe learning environments. 

Supported by the European Union, UNICEF, and partners, Metsi a Lesotho extends beyond the construction of infrastructure. The programme is dedicated to empowering local communities, strengthening institutional systems, and fostering investments in a sustainable and resilient future for Lesotho. 

The initiative will cover the ten districts of Lesotho over five years, starting with Mohale’s Hoek, Thaba-Tseka and Maseru. Work is ongoing or already completed in the first 50 sites. 

The programme is also setting up a new system to manage water, sanitation, and hygiene services in rural areas, making sure that communities have a greater say. A core objective of the programme is to develop and decentralise the framework for rural WASH management. This includes capacity-building at national, district, and community levels, targeting key stakeholders such as the Department of Rural Water Supply, local Councils, Water and Sanitation Programmes and Water and Sanitation Associations. These efforts aim to enhance the planning, implementation, and management of WASH services across the country. 

Metsi a Lesotho is putting monitoring and evaluation systems in place to ensure effective oversight. This includes using the latest mapping technology and better ways to report progress to ensure that decisions are based on evidence. These systems will incorporate Geographic Information System (GIS)-based planning tools and enhanced reporting frameworks to support transparency and accountability. 

Today’s celebration is just the beginning. Together, we’re building a cleaner, safer, and brighter future for Lesotho’s children and communities. 

“One year ago, the Kingdom of Lesotho and the European Union launched this joint initiative with the goal of rehabilitating or constructing, over the next five years, water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for 250 communities—including 125 schools and 15 clinics—in rural areas across all ten districts of the country. Today, I am proud to witness the first tangible results of Metsi a Lesotho: the completion of the first infrastructure project here at St. Sebastian High School,” says EU Ambassador Paola Amadei. 

In parallel, Metsi a Lesotho contributes to land and water conservation through support to ReNOKA - Lesotho’s national movement to restore land and water resources - using sustainable catchment management approaches across 50% of the country’s watershed areas. This work not only helps to reverse land degradation and enhance climate resilience but also lays the groundwork for a sustainable national financing mechanism to safeguard long-term water and environmental security. 

In rural areas of Lesotho, the lack of reliable WASH services undermines development gains and exposes communities to preventable disease, lost learning time, and compromised livelihoods. Metsi a Lesotho addresses these challenges through a holistic, multi-sectoral approach—improving access to basic services while fostering community ownership and strengthening local systems. 

“Access to safe water and sanitation is not just a service—it is a pathway to dignity, equity, and opportunity,” says the UNICEF Representative. “Through Metsi a Lesotho, we are not only building taps and toilets; we are strengthening the institutions, policies, and systems that protect every child’s right to grow up healthy, attend school, and thrive. Together with our partners, we are ensuring that water security becomes a lasting foundation for Lesotho’s human capital and sustainable development”. 

The roll-out event also marked the culmination of months of community engagement and a series of school-based activations that have brought the message of sustainable water and land management to classrooms across the country. From the vibrant voices of learners at St. Bernard Primary in Nyakosoba, to the energy witnessed at Topa and Thaba-Ntšo Primary Schools nestled in the Semonkong range, and the inspiring performances at Seea-le-metse Primary in Thaba-Tseka, schools have become powerful platforms for change. 

These activations mobilised children and young people as champions for water security—raising awareness through poetry, songs, drama, and interactive learning about the importance of conserving water, practicing hygiene, and protecting natural resources. Their message is clear: Ensuring water access for today’s communities and future generations starts when we lead by example, by protecting and preserving the water of Lesotho. 

The official roll-out of Metsi a Lesotho stands as a testament to the power of inclusive partnerships—across government, civil society, development partners, and communities—to deliver tangible results. It is also a call to continue strengthening collaboration at every level to ensure that access to safe water, improved sanitation, and a healthy environment is not a privilege, but a right enjoyed by every child, every family, and every community in Lesotho. 

Minister of Education Dr Ntoi Rapapa, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources Mohlomi Moleko says that, “Today marks a significant milestone in our journey toward universal access to clean water and dignified sanitation for every Mosotho. It brings us closer to a Lesotho where every child can drink clean water, every clinic can offer safe care, and every school can be a placed of health and dignity. Metsi a Lesotho is not just about infrastructure – it is about restoring the basic rights of Basotho. I extend gratitude to the EU Delegation, UNICEF and all our partners for walking this path with us. Today is proof of what can be achieved when we work together, guided by the needs of our communities.” 

Metsi a Lesotho is part of Global Gateway—the European Union’s strategy to boost smart, clean, and secure connections in digital, energy, transport, and climate sectors, while strengthening health, education, and research systems across the world. The programme is aligned with the Government of Lesotho’s National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDP II) and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation.

Notes to the Editors

About the EU

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries^[1]. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote sustainable development of societies, environment, and economies, so that everyone can benefit. It has been a partner of Lesotho since 1976.

For more information about EU Delegation visit: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/lesotho | Facebook and X (ex Twitter) | LinkedIn

For more information about Metsi a Lesotho and to download the fact sheet visit: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/lesotho/metsi-lesotho_en

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child; in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. 

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org

About the Office of the Minister of Natural Resources 

The Ministry of Natural Resources is committed to attain socio-economic prosperity through development of sustainable and viable mining industry, reliable and efficient energy services as well as adequate water supply, and effective management of the water resources.