A marathon for haemophilia awareness
“I’m Mofota Makoae and I’m 29 years old. I’ve been involved with the Haemophilia Association of Lesotho since 2017, working as a volunteer on the task team to define and organise projects. As a specialist in marketing and public relations, I know how important it is to create awareness of bleeding disorders in order to advocate for better care and treatment.
“In 2021, we focused our awareness activities around World Haemophilia Day with the very first haemophilia marathon held in the capital of Maseru. The event included categories for professional athletes and people with haemophilia as well as a family run. The biggest challenge was organising this event in the midst of the pandemic, but we were able to make the most of virtual platforms to connect and generate interest.
“With more than 150 participants, we were very successful in raising awareness of bleeding disorders country-wide thanks to attention from the media, including national TV and radio coverage. This in turn created an impact with the health authorities which helped in our advocacy efforts to help patients find better care and treatment options in 2022.”
Lesotho 2021 highlights
The first NNHF-supported project in Lesotho, a land-locked country encircled by South Africa, is being led by Moeketsi Mootisa, President of the Haemophilia Association of Lesotho (HAL). Activities completed in 2021 helped lay the groundwork for better care:
- Awareness creation through the inaugural World Haemophilia Day marathon held in Maseru on 17th April 2021.
- Patient organisation HAL strengthened with the completion of a successful strategic planning workshop, office set-up and website creation.
- Seven healthcare professionals identified for training abroad to create a multi-disciplinary care team.
- Patient camps conducted to empower 38 people with haemophilia and caregivers.
