User:ALAFA

Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in the world and is classified as a Least Developed Country. The apparel industry is the largest employer in Lesotho. It has been built on the preferential trade opportunities created by the US Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) and is working on moving up the value chain to create a niche market as an ethical sourcing destination. The Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA) is an industry-wide programme providing prevention and treatment for the 46000 mainly women workers in the industry. This is helping to combat two of the key drivers of the HIV/AIDS edpidemic: poverty and gender inequality. Surveys within the industry show that 43% of employees are HIV-postive. The creation of ALAFA was driven by humanitarian concerns and the need to make the industry sustainable in the long term. It was launched in May 2006 in Maseru. ALAFA is a direct beneficiary of the ONE T-shirt campaign by the Campaign to Make Poverty History and receives a donation from every T-shirt sold.