Lesotho, Africa, known as the Mountain Kingdom, is one of the world’s smallest countries. The people are called the Basotho and the official languages are Sesotho and English. The nation’s motto, “Khotso, Pula, Nala”, means peace, rain and prosperity.

The Basotho people are known for being hospitable and kind. Odds are if you're walking through a village of rondavels high atop a mountain somewhere, you will be invited into a home and offered tea or food. The sense of community and hospitality spreads throughout the nation and encompasses the entire culture.

Many of the roads in Lesotho are still unpaved and comprised of loose gravel and dirt. It's common to see a Mosotho man riding horseback along the winding dirt roads throughout the countryside.

The small mountainous country is facing big challenges. Lesotho is plagued by extreme economic inequality, alarmingly high rates of HIV/AIDS, poverty, droughts causing food shortages, and corresponding malnutrition. Together these factors have stunted the country’s development making it one of the world’s least developed countries.

Lesotho has the third highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate averaging between 21.9% - 24.7% percent with almost one in four people infected.  The effects of the HIV/AIDS crisis have been devastating on the region with the average life expectancy now 42.6 years and the orphanage rate increasing fast. Many children who may be infected by HIV don't have access to life saving ARVs because their families cannot afford the taxi fares to the hospitals.

There are an estimated 160,000 orphans in Lesotho, 110,000 a result of HIV/AIDS. The number of HIV/AIDS orphans continues to rise in Lesotho, and the government and community-based projects are struggling to provide adequate support for the children in need.