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Southern
Mountain
Association
for
Rural
Transformation
and
Development
in
Lesotho |
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Mission
Statement |
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We
are
an
ecumenical
community
based
organisation
(CBO)
in
the
southern
mountain
of
Lesotho,
whose
primary
mandate
is
to
facilitate
efforts
of
rural
communities
by
encouraging
an
integrated
community
development
initiative
that
will
alleviate
poverty.
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Project
Purpose |
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 Our
purpose
is
to
improve
the
standard
of
living
of
southern
mountain
communities
through
transformative
development
that
emphasizes
on
the
enhancement
of
indigenous
knowledge
of
the
environment
and
development.
The
association
was
established
in
1976
under
the
umbrella
of
the
Christian
Council
of
Lesotho
(CCL)
to
supply
the
communities
around
Ha
Sekake
with
drinking
water.
In
the
following
years
SMARTD
expanded
its
operations
to
agriculture
and
to
integrated
rural
development
to
address
the
dire
poverty
in
the
region.
 In
August
2004
the
association
became
independent.
Currently
more
than
20
local
experts
in
agriculture,
finance,
education,
horticulture
and
nutrition
reach
out
to
over
12,000
households
in
roughly
120
villages
in
the
southern
districts
of
Qacha’s
Nek,
Quthing
and
Mohale’s
Hoek.
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We
believe... |
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That
all
persons
are
created
in
the
image
of
God
That
rural
communities
know
their
problems
and
how
to
go
about
solving
them
In
conserving
God’s
creation
That
mountain
people
have
different
development
goals
from
those
of
the
lowlands
In
upholding
the
promotion
of
human
dignity,
integrity,
faithfulness,
moral
uprightness,
transparancy
and
accountability
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Area
of
Operation |
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 The
area
that
SMARTD
operates
in
poses
a
great
challenge
to
the
association.
The
once
fertile
land
has
depleted
due
to
overgrazing
and
high
stock
density.
Most
of
the
lands
are
left
bare
and
rocky
due
to
high
levels
of
erosion.
The
area
is
surrounded
by
mountain
ranges
high
above
2000
metres
in
altitude.
With
severe
cold
and
a
high
probability
of
snow
in
the
mountains
and
heavy
rains
during
the
summer
the
climate
is
not
favourable
to
successful
farming.
The
remote
mountainous
areas
of
Lesotho
are
by
far
the
poorest
in
the
country.
The
degree
of
poverty
is
acerbated
by
unequal
distribution
of
opportunities
in
education,
job
creation,
out-migration
to
the
urban
centres
and
the
hardy
nature
of
livelihoods
for
the
mountain
people.
The
HIV/AIDS
pandemic
impacts
negatively
on
the
livelihoods
as
many
of
the
people
who
depend
on
agriculture
get
sick
and
agricultural
production
declines.
Poverty,
hunger
and
malnutrition
makes
the
population
more
vulnerable
to
the
ravage
of
HIV/AIDS.
Click
here
to
get
a
detailed
profile
of
our
area
of
operation |
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Project
Components |
-
Irrigation
-
Gardening
-
Eco
-
Income
Generation
-
Natural
Resources
-
Food
Security
-
Nutrition
Education
-
Youth
+
HIV/AIDS
-
Livestock
Production
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