DISADVANTAGED GROUPS RECEIVE CLOTHES

The wife of the Prime Minister Mrs. 'Mathato Mosisili handed over donations of clothes and blankets to disadvantaged groups in the Lithoteng Constituency in Maseru on Wednesday 02 October,2002. The clothes were sewn by the Lithoteng and Semphethenyane support groups from pieces of cloths provided to the office of the First Lady by one of the Thetsane factories and were handed over to recipients who included orphans of HIV\AIDS, disabled people and members of vulnerable households.

Mrs.  Mosisili said the country is faced with one of the world's greatest challenges which is HIV\AIDS, saying it is currently killing people at their prime time, while poverty and famine have also made their mark. She said orphans of HIV\AIDS need all the support they can get from their village, adding that no one will come from afar to take care of them. Mrs. Mosisili urged members of different cooperative societies and associations to also give support and care to HIV\AIDS patients.

She also stressed the importance of using cloves as a way of protection, saying that cloves are meant to protect those who take care of patients and the patients themselves  from infecting each other. She appealed to all groups to work together and stop political discrimination against each other saying this country need a collaborative effort of its people so that it can emerge from its current problems that
include famine. Mrs. Mosisili thanked the Thetsane factories for providing pieces of cloths that have been used to sew the clothes and blankets that were being distributed amongst orphans, disabled and vulnerable people.

The Member of Parliament for Lithoteng, Mr. Molobeli Souru thanked Mrs. Mosisili for her role in securing the clothes and in encouraging the societies to make the clothes and blankets. Mr. Souru pledged his commitment in solving the constituency problems and bringing people of different views together in the development of their
villages. He however showed that there are some people who do not want peace, and whose intentions are to destroy and not to build.

The member of the Tsohang Semphetenyane Multi Purpose, a group that took part in the sewing of the cloths to track suits, t-shirts, and blankets, Mrs. 'Mabokang Mareka said it was not easy for different support groups to work together, as they discriminated against each other in the beginning. She however showed that they managed to work out their differences, as they had the same goal and succeeded in making the clothes as planned.

The Lithoteng and Semphethenyane community groups are formed of different associations whose initial objectives were income-generating projects such as poultry keeping, sewing, and candle making.

02 October,2002