Against the tide: Provision of psycho-social support to orphans in a rural primary school in Lesotho

Abstract

Even before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Lesotho had a significant number of orphans. However, the pandemic has caused an increase in the number of orphans, as some children have lost 1 or both parents or caregivers. Many of these orphans are of school-going age, strategically placing schools to meet their psycho-social needs. With this study we aimed to achieve 2 objectives: firstly, to assess how 1 primary school in rural Lesotho provided psycho-social support to orphaned learners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly, to determine how such support was beneficial to the orphans. We used the social-ecological model of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as a theoretical framework and collected data through interviews with 17 purposively selected participants, including 1 principal, 8 guardians and 8 teachers. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that teachers provided food packages, lay counselling, and referrals to spiritual counsellors to support orphaned learners. While learners benefited from the school’s psycho-social services, limited resources and skills posed challenges. We recommend developing comprehensive policies to address the psycho-social support needs of orphans.