The Rapid Appraisal:

Basotho have a long tradition of caring for one another with the aim of relieving suffering and dying with dignity. Basotho will not directly say that someone is dying, they know when death is coming, and will express it through words such as “bophelo bo hae bo felile” (his or her life is finished). When these words are spoken, it is expected that the person will soon die. Basotho will try, by all means, to be with a person who is ill, to provide physical, spiritual and emotional comfort and to be there at the time of death. If someone is left alone during the time of suffering and death, it is considered to be a very sad affair. What may seem to be simple words, actions or desires are actually critical to the provision of palliative care and are indications that although formal palliative care is not provided, there is a strong traditional foundation that must be built upon to provide comprehensive care at the facility, community and household levels. Although the provision of formal comprehensive palliative care is nearly non-existent in Lesotho, it is clear that the tradition of care-giving among Basotho will provide a strong foundation for the implementation and scaling-up of palliative care.²⁷