Allow me to pay my respects to His Majesty King Letsie III and Her Majesty the Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso

The Right Honourable the Prime Minister, Ntsokoane Sam Matekane,

The Honourable President of the Senate, ‘Mamonaheng Mokitimi,

The Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane,

His Lordship the Chief Justice, Sakoane Sakoaone,

Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, Mme Justice Majara,

Honourable Ministers and deputy Ministers in His Majesty’s Cabinet, in particular,

The Honourable Minister of Gender Youth and Social Development, Pitso Lesaoana

Their Excellence’s Heads of Diplomatic missions and international organisations and members of their teams,

Honourable Vice President of the Senate, Ntate Tsukutlane Au

Honourable Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mme Tšepang Tšita-Mosena

Honourable members of the National Assembly and of the Senate and Principal Chiefs

The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender Youth and Social Development, Mme Mahlapane Makakole 

Representatives of Government Ministries, and other public institutions,

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations,

Media representatives

Bo'Me le Bo'Ntate,

All protocols observed

It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome you to this pivotal event of the Ntlafatsa-Bana programme.

Today marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to the welfare and development of our most vulnerable citizens, particularly children under five living in beneficiary households.

Since 2005, the EU supported social protection in Lesotho, striving to improve the lives of those who need it most – and for over 15 years, in partnership with UNICEF.

As we continue our commitment to social protection, we carry with us the lessons learned and the successes achieved in the past.

The creation of the Child Grant Programme and the National Information System on Social Assistance (NISSA) are some of the clear and tangible results of our commitment to children’s well-being over the years.

EU’s engagement to Basotho children, however, does not stop at social protection programme.  Through a programme implemented by World Vision, Lesotho children’s courts infrastructures have been created, to grant children adequate spaces when they appear in court as victims, witnesses or as accused. The EU most recent programme Metsi a Lesotho will provide access to clean water and sanitation services in underserved communities and in particular will target 125 schools across the ten districts of Lesotho, in partnership with UNICEF.

Back to social protection, the core objective of Ntlafatsa Bana is clear: to enhance the well-being of children under five by linking the Child Grants Programme with essential services, for the benefit of households and communities.

Through this programme, we expect to achieve the following results, among others:

• increase birth registration rates,
• ensure access to sustainable energy solutions and nutrition-sensitive services
• support innovation for an efficient and effective update of the National Information System for Social Assistance
• ensure payments for social assistance programmes are digital.

After a little more than a year of implementation, we can already see some concrete achievements:

• 22 nutrition clubs established and 4 water community systems repaired
• Agreed requirements for NISSA upgrade
• 31% of Child grants programme payments are digital – our joint target is 60% in two years’ time.

What does it mean in practice?

Receiving a payment on the phone, or at the bank, will allow a single mother to spend her precious time in her occupations rather than walking long distances to receive her cash subsidy, and then walk back with fear of being assaulted on the way back home.

It also means great savings for all Basotho, as the government would not need to contract services for the physical dispatching of subsidies all over the country. A click will do. We are all eager to think of the long lines we all see in front of the distribution points, as a thing of the past.

The tools that we are handing over today will be critical for the implementation and the sustainability of the programme. Laptops and tablets will speed up the process towards digital payments and towards updating the database. The vehicles will give the Ministry the capacity to better oversee this process.

It is imperative to recognise the crucial and driving role of government action in addressing the challenges faced by children and families in vulnerable situations.

Through collaboration with stakeholders at all levels, we can ensure that our efforts are truly sustainable and transformative, for a more inclusive and equitable society.

As we embark on this journey, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to leaving no child behind and forging a path towards a better future for all.

Thank you.