Qomo Qomong Community Council COE

The Qomo‑Qomong Community is a rural locality in the Quthing District of Lesotho, comprising numerous small mountain villages. The terrain is rugged and remote, presenting both the challenges and beauty typical of Lesotho’s highlands. Community life here is strongly rooted in traditional livelihoods, with residents relying heavily on subsistence farming and local communal structures to sustain their way of life.

The Qomo‑Qomong Community Council is a participant in the Gender Links Centres of Excellence (COE) programme, which supports local governments in mainstreaming gender equality in service delivery and governance.  As part of its COE journey, the council has developed a gender action plan, committed budget to gender-sensitive local economic development, and addressed issues such as maternity and paternity leave. However, despite its progress, representation remains uneven: for example, in one of the council’s assessments, only two of eleven councillors were women, and none of its committees was chaired by a woman.