Poverty alleviation from the perspective of street vendors in Lesoth

The aim of this paper was to examine from the perspective of street vendors how they are fighting poverty and the extent of winning this endemic cankerworm. The findings of this paper are informed by a study carried in 2007 on poverty and street vendors in Lesotho. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used as data collection instruments for the study. The findings show that many street vendors perceived poverty as the satisfaction of basic household needs and some see it as the level of household income. Furthermore, the findings reveal that below half of the respondents prior to joining street vending were meeting their basic needs. After involving in this activity, more than half indicated that they were satisfied with children’s educational needs and household food. Similarly, they reported that their life expectations were met and their current life status has improved, notwithstanding the small amount of income they make daily. The paper concludes that street vending is not a panacea for poverty as some vendors indicated signs of dissatisfaction. However, many had improved their lives and households from street vending. Nonetheless, street vending has its own setbacks, resulting from government intervention policy and other circumstances.

The Impact of Old Age Pension on Households and Social Relationships in Lesotho

The findings of this paper are drawn from an old age pension study conducted in Maama Constituency, Lesotho and it examines the extent to which old age pension impacts on pensioners’ households and social relationships. Survey data was supplemented by data from in-depth interviews with key informants. The consequences of high unemployment and the high HIV/AIDS rate have prompted the aged to be caregivers in Lesotho because of their old age pension. The findings show that pension money has strengthened the decision-making process in most households in favour of the aged. An overwhelming number of pensioners have total control of their pension, especially the men. Despite the rigidity of these old people with their pension pay package, more than a quarter of the pensioners take care of orphans. In addition, about two-fifth of them were supporting the education and training of some household members through the provision of uniforms, stationery and shoes. The study also reveals that the African culture of respect for the elderly is still much alive in Lesotho. Most of the pensioners reported excellent relationship with and respect from members of their households, more especially their grandchildren. Despite the small amount of pension, it has given a new dimension to the lives of the pensioners and also strengthened and reinforced the spirit of the African brotherhood in Lesotho

WASP-103 b:a new planet at the edge of tidal disruption

We report the discovery of WASP-103 b, a new ultra-short-period planet (P = 22.2 h) transiting a 12.1 V-magnitude F8-type main-sequence star (1.22±0.04 M⊙, 1.44-0.03+0.05 R⊙, Teff= 6110±160 K). WASP-103 b is significantly more massive (1.49±0.09 MJup) and larger (1.53-0.07+0.05 RJup) than Jupiter. Its large size and extreme irradiation (~ 9 x 109 erg s-1 cm-2) make it an exquisite target for a thorough atmospheric characterization with existing facilities. Furthermore, its orbital distance is less than 20% larger than its Roche radius, meaning that it might be significantly distorted by tides and might experience mass loss through Roche-lobe overflow. It thus represents a new key object for understanding the last stage of the tidal evolution of hot Jupiters.