Courtesy Help Lesotho
Help Lesotho has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 25 charities.Surprise filled the offices of Help Lesotho when the Centretown-based aid organization received news the Financial Post had named it one of the top 25 charities in the country for 2015.
Help Lesotho, located on Bronson Avenue just south of the Queensway, raises more than $1 million annually to bring education and support to the African country about HIV-AIDS.
Known as the “Kingdom in the Sky,” Lesotho lies entirely above 1,000 metres in elevation and is one of the last three “kingdoms” of Africa. It is roughly the size of Belgium and is entirely encircled by South Africa.
Lesotho has the second largest HIV-AIDS infection rate in the world, at 24 per cent. According to Avert: Global Information on HIV & AIDS – in 2013, 360,000 people in Lesotho were living with HIV-AIDS.
Ottawa native and resident Peg Herbert founded Help Lesotho in 2004 after an eye-opening trip to the southern African kingdom.
Her trip was inspired a few years prior when a student from Lesotho in her graduate class at the University of Ottawa taught her about the country, sharing with Herbert her personal experiences with the devastation there. Herbert travelled for weeks, meeting with locals and holding various discussions and workshops.
Since then the organization has grown from one of small local recognition to one of national acknowledgement in Canada’s international development sector, working to help stop the spread of HIV-AIDS and bring support and education to those affected.
When Herbert and the Help Lesotho staff heard the news about the Financial Post honour they were filled with excitement.
“We were ‘over the moon’ as they say in Lesotho,” says Herbert.
“We support a country known only by a few in Canada. Our amazing staff work tirelessly in both countries and to see that recognized was so gratifying.”
She adds: “Every person whose life is transformed is a victory under unbelievably difficult conditions.”
With an estimated life expectancy of just under 49 years, the kingdom of just over two million people is made up largely of children and grandparents, with much of the adult population tragically fallen due to HIV-AIDS, and women between the ages of 15-24 most vulnerable. Help Lesotho works to support children and grandmothers, seeing them as the key support structure for the orphaned children in the kingdom.
“We reached 20,000 children, youth and grandmothers last year,” Herbert said. “The impact is extraordinary and truly appreciated by all levels of society, including the King and Queen.”
The Financial Post, in assembling its annual list of top Canadian charities, reports that there are nearly 86,000 such organizations in Canada. In order to narrow the list for the purpose of highlighting the top charities, the Post only reviews charities that exceed one million dollars in annual donations; in 2015, Help Lesotho annual budget grew to $1.6 million, making it one of the smallest NGOs to make the Post’s list.
In choosing the top contenders the Financial Post created a list of criteria in which to measure the accountability, financial transparency and the efficient use of donations of each charity.
The Post took a particular interest in charities where the majority of their money was going to charitable spending, and those that took the time to keep their donors up-to-date on the impact of their donations.
Kate Lambert is the senior project manager with Help Lesotho. She says the organization has had a strong base of Ottawa supports since the beginning, which has continued to grow throughout the years and helped propel the organization to success.
“We have a large network of supporters here in Ottawa and we do our best to make sure that everyone knows how important their role is. It’s not a matter of simply handing over money and that’s the end,” says Lambert. “We are trying to keep everyone as connected as possible so they can really see the impact of all of their efforts on the ground of Lesotho.”
Lambert says it has really been word of mouth that’s allowed the organization to grow, as the organization chooses to not to spend its money on advertising or marketing space.
“We have grown because people believe that what we’re doing is good and is working,” Lambert said. “So primarily we have grown because people tell their friends and family members that there’s an organization that is worth supporting.”
The organization also works to bridge the gender inequality gap that has been a large problem in Lesotho despite various legislative attempts to combat it – with 83 per cent of women having experienced some form of sexual violence in their life as a result of patriarchal values and norms that create power imbalances between genders. Help Lesotho’s work includes empowering women and girls, and educating men and boys.