Draft

Inquiry Draft- morgan faulk **Back**

**Lesotho Needs a New Deal** There has been, and will probably continue to be, a debate regarding the condition of Africa and the alleviation of its many issues. Some argue that money, billions and trillions of dollars, should be surrendered to African countries to aid in relief of poverty. Others counter that trading with these countries is the only way to bring them out of their depravity. Still others, in a fairly popular debate, believe that both, in combination, are necessary to help Africa. Unfortunately, all of these approaches are laissez-faire and require little effort on behalf of developed nations. Kimberly Gamble-Payne, UNICEF’s Representative in Lesotho comments, "even if we could provide a plow and seeds to harvest every bit of land, we wouldn't be dealing with the real problem. There aren't enough able-bodied people to do the work. […]We simply can't assume people can walk to feeding points to get the supplies they need." ([])

Basing a plan off of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and select programs therein, I propose to institute a modified version of the New Deal into a small country in Africa, namely Lesotho. The programs, reconfigured specifically for their needs, will attempt to restructure health, agriculture, unemployment, and industry in this individual country. Through the Lesotho/American relationship, both parties will benefit from each other, Lesotho in quality of life and America in employment and future trade endeavors.

Lesotho, the “Mountain Kingdom”, is nestled in the eastern corner of South Africa, near the southern tip of Africa, and is completely landlocked. The Drakensberg Mountains, or the Dragon Mountains, wind their way along the coast of South Africa and run directly through Lesotho, giving it its namesake. Out of the two million plus people who call Lesotho home, approximately three-quarters of them live in the rural areas.(rural poverty portal) Here, you can find one of the highest literacy rates in Africa (85%), free public education (enacted in 2000), and sound trading partners like South Africa, the United States, and the European Union. (rural poverty portal, state.gov). With rolling mountains, hills, and red-clay marbled cattle, Lesotho is a beautiful sight to behold. But, behind the beauty, there is a country that is dying.

Though the mountains create a majestic backdrop, they prevent Lesotho from becoming agriculturally sufficient. Lesotho’s temperate climate brings about 20 to 47 inches of rain during October to April. Precipitation of any sort has no set pattern and it has left Lesotho in a severe drought for the past decade. When the rain does come, it is often marked by surges that flood the ground and cause severe soil erosion. Snowfall, hail, and high winds also contribute to Lesotho’s poor climate.(ochaonline) Because of the mountainous terrain only ten percent of the land is arable. Even if rainfall was reliable, farmers would be limited with how much they could grow on the useable land. What they are able to harvest is usually corn, wheat, sorghum, and barley which are mainly used to feed their people (state.gov). The severe droughts and flash flooding, coupled with inadequate farming space, has ensured a minute crop to feed a starving Lesotho. They are in a major food crisis. Mahlomola Monaheng, a 76 year old farmer of more than half a century, states that Lesotho is going through “the worst drought [he] can remember”. In good years, his crop was at the height of his shoulder and in bad years it made it to his waist. Now, few plants survive- they are at knee-height and shrivel in the sun. []

Perhaps one of the most alarming things occurring in Lesotho is the state of its health and healthcare system. The main hospitals are located in villages and are staffed by volunteer community health workers. There are several clinics, though many are beyond the reach of the rural poor. Being short staffed, in both villages and communities, hospitals are unable to care for all of the people. (Lesotho.gov.ls). More unsettling than the inadequate health care system is the HIV/AIDS prevalence among Lesotho. 23.2% of the population is currently infected with HIV, the third highest rate in the world. Twelve thousand children are HIV positive and 56% of HIV positive individuals are women. Because of lack of education, low status for women, and access to health facilities, the endemic HIV has incited emergency actions. Scare funding has kept the government unable to provide the education and preventative measures to stop the spread (avert).

HIV’s affects, among other things like climate conditions, poor government infrastructure, and access to hospitals, has practically stripped the Sotho people of their quality of life. Over 30% of children are left orphaned because of early parental deaths; child-headed households are quickly becoming common as parents and family members succumb to the virus. Khoali and his twin brother Khoalnyane, age 9, are orphans because of AIDS related tuberculosis that took their father when they were 5 and then their mother more recently. Struggling to survive, Khoali remarks, “When my mother died, I thought we'd be in trouble. I was worried about finding food, clothes and shoes.” Fortunately, an older sister who works in a factory helps them whenever she can. Relief workers also bring a monthly allotment of food for the boys. ([]) Life for Sotho people has now been reduced to a mere 40 years (helplesotho). Adding to the pitiful statistics, more than half of the rural dwellers are poor. Considering seventy percent of the population lives in the rural parts of Lesotho, roughly 800,000 Sotho people are living on roughly one dollar, every day. (rural poverty).

Due to insufficient funding, the government is unable to invest in agriculture, a major source of income for the rural population. Further, the decline in agriculture and natural resource degradation continue the cycle of rural poverty. With a 45% unemployment rate, it is no surprise that many individuals rely on the land to provide their income. For others, the luckily employed, they rely on new industry in Lesotho or seek out employment in South Africa. (rural poverty) This makes Lesotho an exporter of “excess labor”. (state.gov) In short, Lesotho needs to rebuild their infrastructure in areas of agriculture and health, primarily, in order to thrive. With the help of a donor nation, who can provide funds and education, Lesotho may be able to overcome their starvation, HIV, health issues, and poverty. Sotho’s need to be educated on the reduction of spreading HIV, on planting trees to fight erosion, on sustainable farming practices, the importance prenatal care, and on many things that will improve their quality of life.

Though Lesotho has achieved quite a bit since their independence in 1966, they still have an arduous road ahead; one that they cannot traverse alone. I propose that the United States walk alongside Lesotho, with monetary provisions and educated man-power, to facilitate their recovery. In order to do this, the United States, with collaboration from Lesotho, should re-institute a modified version of Roosevelt’s New Deal. To preface, the US is currently undergoing a dramatic shift in employment numbers and is enduring a depression in the economy. Americans need jobs and trading partners while Lesotho needs a rebuilt infrastructure and money. Through a US/Sotho symbiotic partnership, both countries will, if not in the short run, prosper in the long run. In order to modify Roosevelt’s New Deal to suit our purposes, we must first look at the structure and programs instituted by the New Deal. The New Deal, instituted in the 1930’s to combat the catastrophic economic downturn, targeted social, political, and governmental reform. It was intended to get Americans working across the entire US, stimulate the economy, and bring about changes in government infrastructure that would prevent another depression from coming. It was implemented on a large scale and was reinforced by the government wallet. Though the ideals were ambitious, several will comment that the New Deal helped rescue American from plummeting beyond a point of return. Others, undoubtedly, blame the New Deal for prolonging the Great Depression. Regardless, programs instituted by the New Deal, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, Works Progress Administration, Public Works Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps, all played a major role in getting America to work while performing much needed tasks to keep America in shape.

Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, was instituted to bring electricity to a poor area in the Tennessee Valley where sharecroppers and tenant farmers lived. The workers ended up improving flood control, reducing soil erosion, reviving soil through phosphate fertilizers, and bringing electrical power into the area. []. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) focused on employing men between the ages of 18 and 24 for manual labor in the conservation of natural resources in rural areas. The men planted trees, created parks, public roadways, and forest fire fighting methods. (wiki).The workers of PWA, or Public Works Administration, constructed public-works facilities such as dams and bridges. Lastly, Works Progress Administration (WPA), the largest of the New Deal programs, employed the unemployed to construct roads and building, work in literacy projects, dabble in the arts, and perform other public works projects. (wiki).

Since the WPA was the largest program, it affected many lives of unemployed people in the United States, like Eugenia Martin, an African American and widow of a minister. Eugenia found herself jobless; there was no money for the home payments or living expenses, and it was thus “next to impossible to live”. There was no family or children who could help her pay for the house, but fortunately, Eugenia was enrolled in the WPA and secured a job. In an interview, Eugenia praises the WPA for allowing her to continue living by providing her with a job. “I am glad I have had the opportunity to work on WPA, first because it has provided me a livelihood and second for the experience I've gotten, which I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. It enabled me to keep up my notes on my home. […] I simply could not have held out this long had it not been for WPA.” (http://frontiers.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/timeline /depwwii/newdeal/martin.html)

Posters created by the WPA covered many different aspects of American life and often advertised for the work that other New Deal programs were doing. One particular poster promotes working for the CCC by a man holding a pickaxe. Two others, promoting the WPA, encourage workers to join the WPA and work for America. Slogans like “Work Pays America!” and “Work Promotes Confidence” were meant to inspire more Americans into finding jobs if not with the WPA, then outside of it. (memory.loc.gov)

The programs of the New Deal were designed to stimulate the American economy back into top working order. For the purposes of Lesotho, programs will need to address different issues, namely health, agriculture, and employment. Using the WPA, PWA, TVA, and CCC from the New Deal as templates, programs can be put into place that directly impact these areas of need as well as work in conjunction with programs already in place. These programs will be flexible and highly mobile so that work for Lesotho and its people can be carried out efficiently and swiftly.

To begin, we will look at the TVA from the New Deal and look at how it can be implemented effectively to tackle the agriculture crisis occurring in Lesotho. The new program name is AgStab, or Agricultural Stabilizers. The United States will send skilled labor in the form of agronomists, crop and soil scientists, natural resource conservators, etc. over to Lesotho and put them in key regions where drought and soil erosion are high and crop production is low. US workers will work with the Lesotho people to educate them on using trees to reduce soil erosion, protecting their resources, and other important things that farmers in this region should know. Further, the United States will provide some of the seed for trees and crops, tools for planting and harvesting and irrigation, and other necessary expenditures. The goal would be to educate the farmers in better farming practices to ensure higher crop yield, so that when the US workers leave, the farmers and their land can thrive.

A current agricultural program that is already in place, Basic Agricultural Services Program (BASP), will be an effective partner to the AgStab program. BASP “is aimed at increasing output of five major crops (maize, sorghum, beans, peas, and wheat) […in] 75 percent of Lesotho’s arable land”. This land area and initiative will affect about 66 percent of the Lesotho population through agriculture, education, markets, stores, and roads. (wds.worldbank) By using both AgStab and BASP in combination, more Sotho people will be reached and more funding will be funneled to this much needed area.

The WPA and PWA focused mainly on hiring the unemployed and putting them to work in public areas but they also fed poor and sick children, created informational posters to broadcast tips and ideas, constructed public facilities, and completed other, important tasks for the American people. In a similar fashion, this combined program called Heath ReVamp, or HRV, will sufficiently cover three main areas within the health realm: building hospitals and health care facilities, establishing doctor-to-patient approaches, and educating the masses about HIV, supplying preventative measures against the transmission of the disease, and providing training for health care workers. The three different sectors of HRV will have people who are trained in very different areas, but are trained nonetheless. In the first sector, American architects and contractors, along with Lesotho contractors who worked on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (a massive project that carries water to South Africa), will design, build and remodel large-scale hospitals for heavily populated areas and small clinics within villages. Laborers for the construction will come from American construction workers and Lesotho people. Materials for the hospitals should be taken from Lesotho or areas in the close vicinity so as to keep the money within the economy. Within the building of hospitals and clinics, workers will create classroom facilities that will be used to train future health care workers.

The second sector focuses on establishing a doctor-to-patient approach. Travel in and out of the mountains is strenuous and time-consuming and often, villagers are unable to reach better health facilities because of distance. Many patients must go beyond Lesotho’s borders to reach specialized hospitals. Thus, this sector, in conjunction with Flying Doctor Service, a program already in place, will alleviate the issue of distance. The Flying Doctor Service, funded mainly by Ireland, uses Cessna 206 single engine planes (equipped with emergency aid materials) to transport patients from local clinics to specialized hospitals. These planes fly patients every three weeks with an Irish doctor on board. Ideally, once sector one has established large-scale hospitals, patients will not have to be taken beyond the borders of Lesotho, so planes could be more suitable for shorter distance travel. HRV could supply doctors, supplies, pilots, Cessna planes, and fuel for the service. The planes can double as supply delivery planes for small clinics that need vaccines, antibiotics, first-aid materials, and nutritional supplements.

The final sector of the HRV, education and prevention, will address HIV education and prevention, health care training and retention, and basic wellness. Teachers and health care workers from the US, with wonderful people-skills, will be sent to HIV riddled areas. It will be their responsibility to teach or set-up training schools for health care professionals and those interested in the field, recruit unemployed Sotho individuals for the health care field, and produce pamphlets and posters that demonstrate proper HIV prevention. Working with the government, which has declared the HIV crisis an emergency, spreading the knowledge of HIV avoidance should not be met with obstacles. Local artists can create films, billboards, and posters that make the information more accessible to the people. Further, there are several programs that are pumping money into the HIV/AIDS crisis in Lesotho. Having skilled individuals on the ground will be a great resource, as they can use the funds from other organizations to purchase materials that inhibit the spread of HIV between partners and between mothers and their children and distribute them to the clinics, hospitals, and Sotho people.

Whereas the CCC took unskilled men and put them to work constructing roads and planting trees, In&Out (Industry and Outreach) will take laborers within Lesotho (from the 45% unemployment rate) and put them to work in new industrial pursuits as well as in local outreach venues. Working closely with local leaders and the government, US workers will encourage local involvement and employment in much needed areas like relief and orphanages. With the many child-headed households, food may be scarce; In&Out would be able to provide food when the children are unable to. Lesotho has asked for financially strong investors in many different areas of industry. By channeling unemployed Sotho people into industries that need investor help, both Lesotho and the investor will benefit. Clothing, furniture, shoes, processing, tourist lodging, ceramic production from local sources, and rock-wall insulation are just some of the huge investment areas. (Lesotho.gov.ls)

A symbiotic partnership should be sought and maintained throughout the relationship between Lesotho and America. Both, ideally, should have positive interactions and more robust economies in the longer run after restructuring occurs and trade begins. As read previously, Lesotho will have an infusion of new ideas, manpower, and funds to help it rise up on its own feet again; however, it begs the question, what is to be gained for the United States and what is the incentive for American workers to leave their homes? The United States will pour a massive amount into the economy of Lesotho and the programs will require a monumental amount of workers, skilled workers. Despite this, America will reap many benefits from working with Lesotho: a lower unemployment rate and a trading partner, among others.

By infusing Lesotho’s economy with a new investor in their industries, not only will Lesotho collect heavily but, America will have a strong partner for trading in the future. Granted, it will take a while for industries to regulate production as kinks are worked out, employees are sought, and demand increases. US expenditures, already exorbitant, will come under fire. Regardless, the pros in the long run outweigh the short term hassles.

The unfortunate downturn of the economy has left many Americans without a job and hopeless about the future. Unemployment will be alleviated when laborers are plugged into different programs in Lesotho, programs that appeal to and apply to a diverse assortment of people. There will be more jobs available for the unemployed in America when some choose to work in Africa. Also, with the option of securing employment, albeit it is a distance away, Americans will once again have hope in their futures. They will be able to provide for their families, enhance their savings account, and learn about an entirely different culture.

Though it would be hard to leave one’s family and migrate to another continent, culture, and lifestyle, there are several incentives built into the modified New Deal. For wages, workers will be paid the amount of a middle class citizen in their country and will be given signing bonuses dependant on their contract term. Medical insurance will be completely free for the worker and a life insurance policy, of a relatively average amount, will be guaranteed. Also, there will be immediate assistance in procuring housing for workers that include running water and electricity as well as a connection to a host family that can offer assistance if need be. It will be assured that American workers will not be alone in their field and American workers will have continual access to each other while in Lesotho.

Perhaps a second more important incentive exists. The people of Lesotho need help from a nation that has more than it really needs. It needs able-bodies, money, structure, and compassion in order to rise up to becoming a productive nation, one that stands as a beacon against corrupt governments and poverty-stricken countries. As a service to a bleeding, no hemorrhaging, country, Americans should sacrifice a bit of comfort and a bit of change in order to build up another relative, for the greater good.

**Conclusion** (need one) Saving Africa one country at a time… and other donor nations welcome to join in aid.

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