CHINA's role as a development partner to African countries is increasing, with the Asian giant's imprint on the continent discernible from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt.

Over the years, Chinese companies have embarked on massive infrastructure projects to kick-start Africa's economic advancement such as the $4-billion Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya and the 1,344-km-long Lobito-Luau railroad in Angola.

Less celebrated, however, is the role of Chinese communities and businesses on the continent in uplifting the societies they live in beyond just providing expertise and employment. As cooperation between the two sides has increased in various sectors, there has also been a lot of Chinese people living in African countries and vice versa.

The small mountain Kingdom of Lesotho is one such country where Chinese nationals play a significant role in the Southern African country's social and economic sectors. Apart from the major infrastructural projects, Chinese nationals in Lesotho engage in various business ventures ranging from retail and hardware shops to textile factories.

Lesotho is a landlocked kingdom encircled by South Africa, with 57.1 percent of the population living in poverty, according to statistics of the UNDP. The tiny nation is also facing serious challenges from HIV/AIDS.

These low developmental indicators have prompted the Chinese communities to go beyond just providing employment, expertise and various services to the Basotho [major Lesotho ethnic group], and lend a helping hand to the underprivileged in their spheres of operations.

Wide ranging cooperation

In February this year, China-Lesotho People-to-People Friendship Action Fund (CLPPFAF) donated $3,000 to cover tuition fees for 40 orphans and vulnerable students in the capital Maseru.

In his remarks during the handover ceremony, CLPPFAF Chairman Chen Kehui said the Chinese community in Lesotho launched the annual initiative three years ago, after realizing the need to assist the underprivileged in the country.

"We came to Lesotho to start businesses, but we noted there were challenges of poverty especially among orphans and vulnerable children," said Chen, adding that they then formed the association and approached schools in 2014 to help select vulnerable students for assistance with school fees payments.

CLPPFAF works closely with the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Lesotho (ACEL). ACEL Deputy President, Lin Wenshu recently told ChinAfrica that to date, they had contributed more than $445,000 worth of assistance since the organization's inception in 2006.

He said the ACEL comprised 26 corporate members which were mainly state-owned companies operating in Lesotho's textile manufacturing sector, as well as others engaged in different economic spheres.

"Since we established the association, we have sourced donations for hospitals, schools as well as vulnerable villagers in different communities in Lesotho," Lin told ChinAfrica.

In the past three years, ACEL has also been running a program for two high schools in Maseru where the association assists 40 students with their tuition fees.

"Last year, we sourced an additional $151,500 from the Chinese business community which was used to purchase various donations for the underprivileged as part of our contribution to Lesotho's Golden Jubilee of Independence," he said, adding that they see themselves as part of the local community.

Benefiting people on the ground

According to the Chinese Embassy in Lesotho, more than half a million Basotho have benefited from medical treatment by Chinese medical teams sent to Lesotho in more than 20 years of cooperation between the two countries. Lesotho has a population of 2.1 million.

A Chinese medical team provided free health services to communities on June 16-19 in Mokhotlong District, which is approximately 279 km from Maseru.

Led by Zou Ran, who is also an acupuncturist, the team of medical specialists included a physician, an orthopedist, an obstetrician and gynecologist and a radiologist.

They provided consultations and treatment for common and prevalent diseases such as flu, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and gynecological diseases among others.

One of the beneficiaries of the health initiatives is 62-year-old Thuso Phakela.

"They [Chinese medical team] have helped me manage my arthritis condition which had been giving me a lot of trouble especially in this winter season," Phakela told ChinAfrica, adding that he had been unemployed for the past three years.

"I had a free check-up and was given medicine. This shows that the Chinese don't just see Lesotho as a country to do business, but they have a sense of responsibility. They have also assimilated into the communities they operate in and understand the challenges we face. They are doing their best to help."

(Reporting from Lesotho)