Lesotho
Key facts:
Hazards covered by anticipation
Droughts | Cold waves | Heavy snowfall (in development)
Anticipation partners in country
Lethoso Red Cross | German Red Cross | Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre | International Federation of the Red Cross | 510 initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross | UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
Inform Risk Index
Hazard and Exposure: 1.9
Vulnerability: 6.0
Lack of Coping Capacity: 6.8
Total: 4.3 (medium risk)
Rank: 69
Photo by Matthew Carter / IFRC
Country Profile
A small and mountainous country landlocked entirely by its neighbor South Africa, Lesotho, often called the “Mountain Kingdom,” experiences a range of climatic hazard on a yearly basis. It is a constitutional monarchy with a population of 2.2 million people, 75 percent of whom live in rural areas. The top 5 INFORM risk indicators of risk are under-five mortality rate, people affected by drought, income inequality, adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS, as well as tuberculosis.
Lesotho is severely impacted by drought and consequent food insecurity, as well as heavy snowfall and cold waves, which impact on vulnerable highland communities and prevent humanitarian actors from access to households in need of assistance. The population also suffers as a result of hailstorms, strong winds, localized floods, and early frost.
Projects
Forecast-based Financing: Closing the gap between disaster preparedness and emergency relief in Southern Africa
Since 2020, LRCS has been working on establishing FbF in Lesotho since 2020, with technical support from the German Red Cross (GRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC) and funding from German Federal Foreign Office. The project is now working on an EAP for drought and will then move on to cold waves and heavy snowfall.
FAO is working on anticipation of drought in Lethoso.
