MASERU, JULY 3– Minister of Youth, Gender and Social Development Mr Pitso Lesaoana said child welfare must be treated as national development work, not charity, as Beautiful Gate Lesotho marked 25 years.
Speaking at the Beautiful Gate silver jubilee under the theme “Invest in Your Child, Transform Your Nation,” Mr Lesaoana said a nation’s prosperity rests on children’s health, education and emotional wellbeing.
“Child protection and welfare should not be viewed as acts of charity, but as essential national development work that directly shapes the country’s future,” he said.
Mr. Lesaoana paid tribute to Beautiful Gate staff, volunteers and partners, calling 25 years a milestone in protecting Lesotho’s most vulnerable children. He said testimonies shared at the event showed the emotional weight of social work.
Beautiful Gate Chief Executive Officer Mrs Lindiwe Kili Kirstein said the organisation started in a two-room rented house during the HIV/AIDS crisis, sheltering 7 orphaned children. Founders Ray and Sue Hutchinson opened their home when families were breaking.
She mentioned that 25 years later, Beautiful Gate has cared for 674 children directly. Over 1,000 have been assisted through outreach. 210 children were reunified with biological families. 309 were placed in permanent homes through adoption.
“Our story has never been about buildings or numbers alone. It has always been about children finding families, hope and a future,” Mrs Kirstein said.
She said the organisation has shifted from residential care to strengthening families and communities because children thrive best in safe homes.
Beautiful Gate Lesotho is a faith-based organisation dedicated to caring for orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable children, particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS. Its core mission is to provide holistic care that addresses children’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs while guiding them toward stable, permanent family placements.
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