8 October 2025 by Limpho Sello

Lesotho’s Ministry of Health has broken new ground by incorporating Braille and two indigenous languages — Sephuthi and Isixhosa — into its measles and rubella vaccine education materials.

The Braille version of the message is provided below:

The initiative aims to ensure that every child, including those from marginalised and visually impaired communities, receives this life-saving vaccine during the nationwide immunisation campaign scheduled for October 20–24, 2025.

👉 Listen to a message on measles and rubella delivered in Sephuthi and Isixhosa:

Sephuthi and Isixhosa are widely spoken in the southern districts of Quthing, Mohale’s Hoek, and Qacha’s Nek. Their inclusion follows a national effort to promote linguistic diversity and inclusivity, recognising these languages alongside Sesotho, English, and Sign Language in official communication.

Ministry of Health Communications Expert and Head of Health Promotion and Education, Baroane Phenethi, told Uncensored News that the inclusion of Braille, Sephuthi, and Isixhosa is part of the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that language and disability are not barriers to accessing health services.

“The reason we ended up implementing such strategies is because we realised that the southern population, along with the disabled community, is there, alive, and very influential. If they are not provided with accurate and factual information, their children could still infect our children who have been vaccinated,” Phenethi said.

He added: “But despite that, we have established community engagement, where we are going to communities to speak to chiefs, community councillors, and the general population who are relevant to the program.”

He indicated that these strategies are inclusive because they are not leaving anybody behind. “Church leaders and traditional leaders are part of these efforts. We are doing all this to promote interpersonal communication at all costs.”

When asked whether these strategies have improved community understanding of immunisation, Phenethi said the understanding of vaccines is gradually being instilled in communities.

While he indicated that “Rome was not built in one year,” he explained that the Ministry of Health believes that bit by bit, communities are beginning to understand the importance of vaccines — and will continue to do so.

Phenethi further explained that, apart from these efforts, the Ministry of Health has engaged various community-based organisations (CBOs) to reach households through door-to-door campaigns, public gatherings, and focus group discussions across different districts. About 20 CBOs have been involved in this initiative, including Sesotho Media and Development, Lesotho Red Cross Society, and others.

“These are some of the strategies that have been put in place,” he said, adding: “they are being supported by our giant partners, more specifically the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which is supporting CBOs to ensure that proper communication happens out there.”