Women of Lesotho’s garment industry lose jobs, hope in COVID

By MAJIRATA LATELA and RYAN LENORA BROWN
Associated Press

MASERU, Lesotho (AP) — When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the global fashion industry crumpled. Faced with collapsing demand, brands canceled orders worth billions of dollars. Factories across Africa and Asia went belly up. Few felt the effects as harshly as the tens of millions of workers who stitched the world’s clothes. The majority of those workers are women. And the situation proves true especially in the southern African country of Lesotho. The clothing industry is the largest private employer there. More than 80% of workers are women. Some 11,000 of Lesotho’s 50,000 garment workers have lost their jobs since March 2020. Today, women line up outside factories hoping for temporary work as they struggle to support themselves and families.