Lesotho: Lesotho Rural Schools Still Dealing With Aftermath of US Funding Cuts

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a GroundUp report dated 27 July 2026, says rural schools in Lesotho continue to face disruption roughly a year after the United States ended funding for school infrastructure projects. The report focuses on two primary schools: Khama-khamane Primary in Mohale’s Hoek district, where a classroom block remains unfinished and without a roof, and Sephelane Primary in Qacha’s Nek district, where community members managed to complete classrooms despite the loss of donor money.

At Sephelane, GroundUp reported that Sehlabathebe-lehae-laka Association chairperson Tšepo Tlali, who had been project manager while the grant was active, stepped in as an unpaid builder after the construction contract was halted. The association paid labourers, while members, including people living outside the area, contributed funds and time. Tlali said most materials had already been bought, but residents still spent months gathering sand and manually fetching water for the work.

Khama-khamane Primary remains in a more difficult position. Principal Cheletsi Lefa told GroundUp that after an earlier article, donors pledged US$5,000, about R80,000, toward completing construction, but the school’s Postbank account could not receive international transfers. He said a new Standard Lesotho Bank account was opened in December 2025 and the details were sent to district education manager Maposholi Posholi, but the money has still not arrived.

Posholi disputed Lefa’s account, saying she had forwarded the banking information to donors and received no reply, though she did not provide the emails to GroundUp. The report says Khama-khamane learners are currently being taught in a village house, underscoring how funding interruptions can leave rural schools dependent on local fundraising and improvised learning spaces.