22 August 2025 by Limpho Sello

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When 25-year-old Karabo Leluma walked into Maseru Regional Hospital in the heart of Lesotho’s capital, one service immediately stood out to him — the Hello Mocha Call Centre. For Leluma, it is nothing short of a game-changer.

She believes the call centre will make it easier for young people in this Southern African nation to quickly access help through a simple phone call. Leluma said having someone who can listen and guide the Lesotho youth to the right support is already half the work in addressing risky sexual behaviours young people.

“This call center will not only address our feelings but also guide us on what we can do with our ideas and challenges,” Leluma said.

She added: “As youth, we are most affected by mental health disorders, and we often engage in risky sexual activities. These are some of the critical issues the call center will help us avoid.”

The call centre, launched on August 15 2025, is described as a bridge that cuts through barriers of fear, stigma, distance and cost young people incurred to access health services across the country.

“We are exposed to a lot of information on our phones, and some of it is not true. With a well-resourced call center, we will speak to professionals who can give us the right answers,” Leluma said.

The call centre is designed so that if a young person’s concern falls outside the expertise of the professionals on the line, they are quickly referred to the right support.

“Even the misconceptions we carry, we can take them to the call center, and they will be corrected,” Leluma said.

Rethabile Ntlhoki, aged 23, lives in Upper Thamae in Maseru. Ntlhoki recalled during the launch of the Hello Mocha Call Centre how he once doubted the project would ever become a reality.

“At first, I thought it would never happen, but when I finally saw it functioning, it looked just like a telecommunications or banking call center. I realised how much it is going to help us as young people,” Ntlhoki said.

 “When someone is not feeling well, they can now access a health professional with just a phone call instead of queuing for five hours at a health facility. With this call center, we know we will easily get the referrals we need instead of waiting endlessly.”

AI and health consultation

With the growing reliance on technologies such as artificial intelligence, many young people are turning to ChatGPT for medical consultations due to poor services in healthcare facilities.

“Most of us depend on our mobile phones, and some even use Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT as counselling apps. With this service, I think our needs will be met halfway,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane has hailed the launch as a critical milestone in providing universal access to adolescent-friendly health services, accurate information, and psychosocial support for young people nationwide.

“According to United Nations Development Program (UNDP’s) 2022 projections, adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 account for 29 percent of our population. They are not only our future; they are our present. Yet they face multiple challenges, including limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, stigma when seeking health care, and a high rate of HIV and AIDS,” Mochoboroane said.

He further revealed that HIV prevalence among adolescent girls aged 15 to19 is 13.9 percent, and 13.7 percent among those aged 20 to 24. For boys, it stands at 2.5 percent aged 15 to 19 and 2.4 percent 20 to 24. The teenage pregnancy rate for girls aged 15 to 19 is 17 percent, according to the National Demographic Health Survey 2023.

“In a digital world where information flows rapidly, but not always accurately, it is our responsibility as governments, partners, and communities to ensure that young people in Lesotho have access to credible, confidential, youth-friendly platforms where they can seek help without fear or judgment,” he added.

He said that with PEPFAR-CDC support, the Mocha Call Center will provide accurate information on sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention and care, mental health, and substance abuse. It will also link callers to health facilities and social support services, while offering counselling by trained professionals.

Expanding on this, Centre for Disease Control (CDC)’s Puleng Ramphalla explained that the call center offers much-needed anonymity and inclusivity.

 “Young people can access it anonymously but still get accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive information. It also serves as mental health first aid and crisis intervention in cases of abuse, violence, or emergencies. Being toll-free and staffed by Basotho, it cuts barriers of language, literacy, income, and distance,” she said.

Ramphalla revealed that CDC is also working with the Ministry of Health’s Adolescent Health Program to deploy a digital app linked to the call center.

“By embracing technology, we are meeting adolescents where they are, while shaping lifelong health and development. Adolescents present great opportunities, but they also face unique challenges such as poor mental health, substance use, unsafe sexual behaviors, and poor nutrition. Strategic interventions at this stage can prevent chronic illnesses and support healthy futures,” she said.

Elizabeth Glaser  Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) Country Director, Tšepang Mohlomi, described the launch as both transformative and inspiring. 

“This journey is about ensuring that adolescents and young people in Lesotho have access to quality health services, information, and the support they deserve,” Mohlomi said.

“Adolescents face disproportionate risks of HIV infection, teenage pregnancy, and other preventable illnesses, yet health services are often inaccessible or unwelcoming to them,” she said.

Mohlomi stressed that national and global frameworks, including the Global AIDS Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals, highlight adolescents as a priority population.

She pointed to successful adolescent-friendly interventions such as Adolescent Corners, peer support programs, and stigma-free health facilities.

 “Investing in adolescents and young people’s health is not only a public health necessity but also a strategic move to protect Lesotho’s future human capital, economic resilience, and development gains. With PEPFAR support, EGPAF has partnered with the Ministry of Health since 2016 to expand adolescent-friendly services. This call center is another step forward,” Mohlomi said.