New Expectant Mothers Wing of Lesotho Evangelical Church’s Mohlanapeng Health Center

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In early 2020, work on the Mohlanapeng Health Center new Expectant Mothers Shelter in Lesotho, a project of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA), is well under way. The new Expectant Mothers’ Shelter is located in the mountainous region of Thaba-Tseka. The Mohlanapeng Health Center opened in 1945 and today serves over 14 villages, approximately 8,000 people.

Due to the mountainous terrain of the region, many pregnant women are made to leave their families and travel from remote villages weeks or even months before their babies are born. This new facility will improve the spaces for expectant mothers to give birth, while they receive meals and medical care while they wait to bring new life into the world. The ability to care for these women during the last stages of their pregnancies is one of the major efforts to decrease the number of maternal and infant deaths in the region.

Over the past few years, LECSA has made significant efforts to improve the facilities for pregnant mothers at its three health institutions: Scott Hospital, Tebellong Hospital, and Mohlanapeng Health Center. Currently, many of the facilities are over capacity which exposes the women who stay there post-delivery to greater health risks. The new shelter at the Mohlanapeng Health Center will provide a separate space to accommodate expecting mothers.