Written by
Federer Foundation
20 April 2026
On 17 April, we were proud to co-host the “Lesotho: A model for sustained early childhood care and development” event, which celebrated the success in expanding access to ECCD in the country. It was co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and Training together with UNICEF Lesotho. The event also highlighted the scaling up of our School Readiness Initiative through the pivotal Global Partnership for Education Multiplier grant, with UNICEF as the grant agent.
Hon. Prof. Ntoi Rapapa, Minister of Education and Training, stated, addressing the audience: “We highly regard education in Lesotho, but ECCD is lacking. Primary education is free and teachers are paid by Government. We have to shift part of our budget to the ECCD centres.”
He addressed the needs of rural ECCD centres, saying: “The decisions we make as Government must uplift the child, even in the most remote places.” He further emphasised the Government’s responsibility to map and capacitate informal ECCD centres outside urban centres.
The Honorable Prof. Ntoi Rapapa, Minister of Education and Training, Lesotho
At the event, our Director for Global Partnerships & Advocacy Carien Vorster shared the results of the process evaluation of the School Readiness Initiative for Lesotho, highlighting effective approaches but also exploring the gaps that need to be addressed before every child in the country can access pre-primary services. The event also saw the launch of our new strategy, with our COO Rugare Ncube emphasising that we are expanding our focus along the foundational learning continuum and that partnerships are a core anchor of our new strategy. As we implement it, we are also consolidating the progress we have already made through the School Readiness Initiative, ensuring it is sustainably embedded in national systems.
Carien Vorster, Director for Global Partnerships & Advocacy, Federer Foundation
Rugare Ncube, Chief Operating Officer, Federer Foundation
A special thank you goes to our implementing partners Network of Early Childhood Development of Lesotho (NECDOL) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Lesotho for their continued commitment to the children of Lesotho and for their support for this event!
For more information on the Federer Foundation’s work in Lesotho to date and the results of our process evaluation, read our fact sheet.
