It is my great honor and pleasure to attend today's hand-over ceremony of a borehole donated by the China-Lesotho People-to-People Friendship Action Fund.

 Maputsoe is an important economic town of Leribe and Lesotho. It has many factories here and a relatively larger population. Unfortunately, even in the town of Maputsoe itself, some people are suffering from the shortage of potable water. After learning the situation, the China-Lesotho Friendship Action Fun decided to donate a borehole here, with a purpose to provide reliable drinking water to the surround schools, where at least 3000 children are studying here. With this borehole, the sanitation and health conditions for the kids will be markedly improved. Meanwhile, the people living around this area will also benefit from this project. For this reason, we shall thank and express my salute to the China-Lesotho People-to-People Friendship Action Fund for its generous donation. Let's put our hands together and give them a loud applause!

I am also pleased to know, that apart from this bore-hole, the Friendship Action Fund will also give out bursaries to 20 students who need help. It is another laudable act from the Fund. As we all know, education is the most important investment. And a timely help with the education for one child, will not only change a kid's life, but also a family's life. For this reason, I want to express my appreciation to the Friendship Action Fun again for its Samaritan gesture.

Witnessing today's event, I can't help from thinking the underlying meaning of these two donations. Water is the source of life. On one hand, the bore-hole will bring actual and real water to our kids, to cater to their physical needs. On the other hand, today's help to ours kids' education is another kind of water to life. In a certain way, it's a kind of more important water to our children's life.

 Distinguished guests, as you must have noticed, the China-Lesotho People-to-People Action Fund has been increasingly active in helping the Basotho in needs in recent years. This fund is a social organization solely participated and sponsored by the Chinese business community in Lesotho. With the funds they put together, the Action Fund has been giving out bursaries, foods, seeds and fertilizers, water catchments, and bore-holes across this country. Many thousands of Basotho have benefited from their generous actions. Comparing with the economic and social cooperation projects that are carried out between our two governments, the Action Fund's contribution may seem humble, but they come from the Chinese business community's own pockets and they are hard earned money. More importantly I believe with this strong momentum, this Action Fund will make more and bigger contribution to Lesotho in the coming months and years. 

 Bome le Bontate, China is a faraway country from Lesotho, but its relations with Lesotho has never been as close as it is today. China has become the world's second largest economy and it is cooperating with Africa in economic and social development in a unprecedented way. In order to bring more benefits to Lesotho and Basotho, all of us need to work together and bring our two countries and peoples even closer. So that we can respect and trust each other, we can work hand in hand just like brothers and sisters. Only in this way, we can bring mutual benefits to all of us. In this regard, I call upon the Chinese business community to continue to help the Basotho in whatever way they can. Meanwhile, I also call upon my Basotho friends to help their Chinese friends in needs, especially to help a safe and secure development environment for them. In my view, only mutual help and sincere partnership can go a long way.

Lastly but not least, I shall use this opportunity to thank the Honorable Ministers for joining with us today. And also I want to thank the DA and the chiefs of Maputsoe for helping the Action Fund organize today's event.

Thank you.