Welfare Services
The LDF welfare service is solely a command initiative to ensure that serving members and their families get necessary support. Basically the vision of the LDF regarding welfare of its members is to provide soldiers and their families' excellent quality programs and services. The services are aimed at boosting morale and resilience in order for them to cope with the demands and pressures of military duties.
Military Medical Support
The Lesotho Defence Force provides medical support service to ensure the safety of army personnel everywhere particularly in the war zone. However, under normal circumstances individual soldiers are capable of attending to minor injuries since they acquired first aid skills in their initial training at recruitment stage.
The military hospital has further trained Medics and attaches them to the infantry battalions, during deployment, who carries additional medical equipment. The military hospital has its focus to combating the prevalence of HIV/AIDs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
It has been conducting studies and providing education to create awareness to service members to reduce the high numbers of new HIV/AIDs infection.
Housing Services
Our army provides housing services to the members though to a limited degree against an ideal plan to provide for everyone. For some reasons the army has not been able to build more houses to answer for the growing number of the organizational members, both the service quarters for families and bachelors' residence.
Due to limited space for families, those who stay within the barracks have to apply and the applications are admitted on merits. The military barracks provide secure environment and has strict rules governing the members and their families.
Transition Period to Civilian Life
2019 saw the Lesotho Defence Force arranging with various companies to educate, advice and provide support to service personnel who are on the verge of joining civilian life.
Every member retires when his time comes to an end and therefore the army has decided to tune its members to appreciate and get prepared for that time. Currently the army is sensitizing those members who are left with less than three years.
The LDF through the office of Human Resource and Administration approached a considerable number of companies and individual experts in various fields, with professional expertise to provide education to enlighten our members on how they should approach their retirement and deciding how best they can invest their monies.
The army learned that when people retire, they get confused for the fact that they are not prepared. This can be a challenging time and requires a period of adjustment to avoid triggering a number of emotions from happiness to anxiety and fear of unknown.
Education in the Army
On joining the military one obtains basic training as the offer of support, advice and education that will increase personal knowledge and awareness. The training aims to support soldiers' personal development and long-term planning. It has been a fact that the majority of retirees as they return to civilian life become favourable members of their community due to tolerable behaviour.
It further assists one to become more independent, spirited and confident to successfully meet the challenges that they will face in Service and afterwards as a civilian. In our communities when soldiers retire, they become close to the chiefs and favoured by the society for exercising competence in administration.
Find an attitude of "as long as that boy is serving I will serve" and you will be successful. With that attitude in mind you will always win regardless of the ups-and-downs.
Non-Military Medical Service
The LDF provides free medical support service for families of service members, while extended family members have to pay limited fees. Extended family members' services are conditional hence why formal application with valid reasons have to be submitted to the office of LDF Medical Health Services for consideration.
Legal Assistance Services
The organisation has a considerable number of Advocates who freely provide services to the soldiers during Court Martial case proceedings. The military Advocates further provide legal advice to the serving members in Civil Cases where members are tried in civilian courts.
Personnel and Welfare
The LDF has been providing support and leisure services to its members, albeit with a tight budget, aimed on the life's improvement for Soldiers and their families. The army provides free and discounted recreation to military personnel and their families Beyond salary, transport and meals.