For Immediate Release
Press Release
Tebogo Sepeng
Maseru: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Southern Africa Mission Director Mr. Andrew “Andy” Karas arrived in Lesotho for his first official visit to the Mountain Kingdom. Mr. Karas met with members of the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho and USAID Lesotho’s partners to observe progress of the U.S. Government’s development partnership with Lesotho, which works to ensure a brighter future for the nation’s citizens.
USAID, through the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is supporting the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho’s goal for an AIDS-free generation. This is through health care services that provide HIV/AIDS awareness programs to prevent
new infections and transmissions, counseling and testing, and treatment and adherence to medications for those who are already infected with HIV.
USAID has been actively working with Lesotho’s Ministry of Health to keep the citizens of Lesotho safe from COVID-19 by providing vaccines and other resources, such as oxygen in hospitals and improvements in the cold supply chain to store vaccines appropriately. In March of this year, U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho Maria Brewer launched the Global Vax initiative in Lesotho, in which USAID is spending an additional $6.2 million to address COVID 19.
Global VAX is a United States Government-wide effort to contribute to the global goal to vaccinate 70% of the world population against COVID-19 in 2022. Through Global VAX, the U.S. Government will surge support and resources to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines in an initial group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Lesotho.
Ambassador Brewer said, “Mr. Karas’ visit to Lesotho underscores our commitment to the development partnership we have built with Lesotho so that we all can live more prosperous and healthier lives.”
Mr. Karas will also meet other USAID partners in the areas of environment, democracy and governance, human rights, and economic growth.
For more information, please contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Maseru via email at InfoMaseru@state.gov.
