Africa-Press – Lesotho. His Majesty King Letsie III will this Saturday celebrate his 58th birthday along with the 27 years in his role as the patron of SOS Children’s Village.
As indicated on their website, the work of the organization in Lesotho began in the 1980s. During the political unrest between 1998 and 1999 when SOS Children’s Village was helping the local
population by distributing food and medical supplies as part of an SOS Emergency Relief Programme. Since HIV/AIDS remains one of the country’s most striking public health concerns, the organization has specifically supported
families affected by the disease. At present, they are supporting young people and children by providing day care, medical assistance and education in two
different locations. When children can no longer stay with their families, they are cared for by their SOS mothers in one of the SOS families. SOS Children’s
Villages Public Relations Officer (PRO) ‘Mahlompho Maphalane revealed to Informative Newspaper that the King has been the Patron of the organization since
1994, playing as, among other roles, a sponsor and overseer of operations.
“The King in collaboration with his friends assist the organization and ensure its prosperity. In 2017 he offered a dairy
cow to the village and the following year with the help from his friends added two more cows intended for milk production to be sold in order to raise funds
at the village,” Maphalane explained. She further showed that the King’s focal point within SOS Children’s Village is to ensure that the caretakers perform their responsibilities fully and follow the
procedures, accomplish the vows of being the care-takers and pay attention to the children. “The King is also SOS Children’s Village’s representative responsible to convey a special message to the public during occasional events,
to plead for sustenance from the community,” the PRO added. She indicated that due to the King’s extraordinary duties he has offered to dedicate his time
to the village twice a year during the events such as SOS Children’s Village Day and Walk with the King fun walk, as part of being liable to the village.
Maphalane noted that the organization does not host a special celebration for the King’s birthday but honours the day by sending best wishes through social media
platforms. King Letsie III is the first son of the late King Moshoeshoe II and Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso. He was born at Scott Hospital in Morija on July 17th 1963
and was named Mohato Bereng Seeiso. SOS Children’s Village was founded by Dr. Hermann Gneimer in 1949 in Austria and works in more than 130 countries worldwide to support families and help vulnerable children to
grow up in a loving home. For more than 60 years SOS Children’s Village has worked with partners in each community to either help families care for their children or to provide an alternative, for instance a SOS family, in which the love of a care taker is essential.
