Working Together
The National Information System for Social Assistance (NISSA) is Lesotho's central social registry used to collect, manage, and update household information for social protection programmes.
Managed by the Ministry of Gender, Youth, and Social Development (MoGYSD), NISSA helps government and partners ensure that social assistance reaches the people who need it most.
NISSA gathers information from communities across the country, through household listing, community-based categorization, and household enumeration; to build a complete picture of household well-being.
Educational support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Cash transfers for children in vulnerable households
Support for individuals in need across communities
With support from the European Union and UNICEF, NISSA has been upgraded into a dynamic Social Registry.
Allows more frequent updates of household information
Better identification of vulnerable households with fairness
Strengthened data sharing with programmes and ministries
Supports poverty reduction and social protection planning
A transparent, community-centred process to ensure accurate and trusted household information.
Each cycle begins with planning at national and district levels. MoGYSD teams prepare where, when, and how household data will be collected.
Community leaders and NISSA teams identify all households in each village. Every household is assigned a unique NISSA ID.
Communities meet to discuss and categorize households according to local understanding of vulnerability. This ensures community voices are part of the process.
NISSA teams visit each household to collect detailed information on members, education, employment, health, income, assets, and special vulnerabilities. Data is captured digitally using secure mobile tools.
Information is verified using automated and manual checks, including comparisons with national databases such as civil registration and ID systems.
NISSA calculates an objective, data-driven score for each household to determine its economic wellbeing.
If the community categorization and PMT results differ, they are discussed and validated with the community to reach a fair final classification.
After all checks, NISSA produces a verified, up-to-date list of households for social protection programmes.
Real-time insights from NISSA data across Lesotho's districts
