Through Help Lesotho’s Young Mother Program, participants receive ‘Starter Packs’ to help them with the initial investment needed to launch small businesses. As much as these young mothers try to find jobs elsewhere, the high degree of unemployment in the country makes for an incredibly competitive job market. Additionally, most young mothers need significant flexibility in their work in order to care for their children. The young mothers find that being self-employed is the ideal scenario for them, even though it is not an easy road to success.

Along with the start-up funding for their small businesses, the young mothers are trained on budgeting, inventory management, marketing, and customer relations. While not all young mothers are able to sustain their businesses, this model remains an effective way to give young mothers the option to build a business, or to use their initial profits to meet urgent needs within their families.

One young mother, Mats’epo, used her Starter Pack to buy simbas (peanuts), biscuits, eggs, sweets and match sticks. She selected her starter pack products based on what is in demand in her local community. Many people in her community had to walk a long distance to get the products she is selling, so she knew the demand would be there as people would find it more convenient to buy from her. She made use of her profits to open a salon which is right next to her shop where she sells her starter pack products. Mats’epo says her success is attributed to her business strategy. She invests her profits back into the business to make sure that it keeps growing, and keeps thorough records of all her transactions. In the future, she hopes to learn more about bookkeeping and how she can better manage multiple business operations. She is currently looking into making jewelry with beads and believes that it is going to be a success!

Grandmothers (‘nkhonos’ in Sesotho) hold a special place in Lesotho families. Our Grandmother Support Program empowers 200 rural grandmothers each year with education, access to local resources, and psychosocial support to help them overcome grief and care for their orphaned grandchildren. Read on to meet three nkhonos from Qoqolosing.

MOLEMO

“I found out Help Lesotho offers Computer and Life Skills from a family member who graduated from it in 2016. He told me I would enjoy it very much just as he did but I think I even enjoyed it more.”

Molemo started working as a radio presenter soon after graduating from high school. He knew he needed to learn how to use a computer if he was going to be successful in his role.

Molemo enrolled in the program for the computer skills, but by the end of the session he realized that the life skills sessions had a huge impact on him, particularly the sessions on Effective Communication, Personality Inventory and Self-Esteem. He feels that he learned a lot from hearing his fellow participants share about their personal experiences.

“As a radio presenter I am going to do my job so well with the skills I acquired from the program as I interact with listeners and use a computer at the same time. I have been well equipped with skills of effective communication and factual knowledge about cancer and gender-related issues, which inspired me to select them as topics to explore in my shows and raise more awareness about them to people.

I want to applaud the warm welcome I got every day from Help Lesotho personnel from the security guards at the entrance all the way to the people facilitating. Even on the days I was in a bad mood, coming to Help Lesotho helped me cheer up.”

THAPELO

Thapelo knows that he has not always made the best decisions in his life. Until recently, he used to deal with the stress of conflicts in his family by using drugs and alcohol and engaging in risky behaviour. He joined the Computer and Life Skills Program and has completely turned his life around!

“Since I have joined this program, I have been able to make better informed decisions and my self confidence has improved. I can firmly stand for my actions and think sensibly about my decisions. Learning about goal setting opened my mindset to be a visionary, to set good goals and to put the work into achieving them. I have grown up, and I am grateful for this opportunity.”

RELEBOHILE

Relebohile had a good childhood until grade 11 when her father lost his job in the mines. From that point, her family struggled. She was so distracted she perform poorly on her final grade 12 exams. Her family could not afford for her to repeat the grade, so instead she left for South Africa in search of work.

In January 2020 she returned to Lesotho to celebrate Christmas with her family. She started seeing a local boy and found herself pregnant. They returned to South Africa together, but after the birth of her son the relationship deteriorated. Relebohile was depressed and overwhelmed about how her life became so difficult in only two years.

In early 2021, Relebohile bravely left her boyfriend behind in South Africa and returned to Lesotho with her son. A friend told her about Help Lesotho’s Computer and Life Skills Program and for the first time in a long time Relebohile felt a glimmer of hope for her future.

Relebohile’s favourite sessions were about communication, goal setting and role modeling.

“I learnt that having a child at a young age was not the end of my life. I can see that my life has changed, I learned to forgive, even my child’s father. I am on a healing journey now. I am ready to build a life that will be beneficial for me and my son by making better informed decisions.”

PAPALI

Papali first heard about Help Lesotho from her employer who is a former Help Lesotho employee.

“She encouraged me to come and register for computer and life skills and I have never been so grateful to her because I not only gained knowledge on computer skills but I also got my healing in the life skills sessions.”

She shared that the life skills sessions renewed her as she learned how and why it is important to express her feelings in a healthy way. The goal setting session reminded her of the goals she used to have, including studying nursing. Papali is now taking small steps towards applying for nursing school!

“The sessions made me to be a better person, but I am still yet to work on myself.”

When Tsita finished primary school, his family could not afford the high school fees, so he became a herd boy, looking after cattle and sheep up in the high mountains.

From the age of 12 and for 14 years, he lived an isolated life, wandering the mountain sides, without education, support or socialization. When his village chief invited him to Help Lesotho’s Herd Boy Program, he jumped at the chance. This was the first opportunity he had ever had to better himself. During the six-month program, he never missed a Saturday class, soaking up every word and idea, despite being by far the oldest in the group.

When he completed the program, Tsita gave a speech to his community:

“My name is Tsita. I live in a little village in rural Lesotho. I was in Help Lesotho’s herd boy training. As herd boys we spend almost our entire lives looking after animals with no information about issues concerning us. The training has changed our lives—most especially mine.

Most of us were never told about issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, but the program helped us dispel all false information about it. We tested for HIV and screened for STIs for the first time ever. We learned about the importance of good health and hygiene. We believe that this is going to strengthen our relationship with other people out there who have been considering us as animals.

I used to be a perpetuator of violence against women. It seemed normal to us boys to beat and violate women’s rights because no one took any action against it. The issue of gender equity to me and my fellow colleagues was understood as a way of depriving us of our privileges and punishing us.

The training changed my whole thinking. Now we understand that women are human beings like us with the same rights and worth—just like us. Therefore, we as men should stop abusing women and girls. Ladies and gentlemen, gender equity doesn’t imply that men should be inferior but that both men and women should have equal opportunities and power in making decisions about their lives because they both have the same capability.

To all young men in Lesotho, please let’s join hands and empower our beloved women and girls. How are we expecting them to live when we mistreat them? They are our mothers, sisters and wives. Let us respect and honour them for the greatness they bring to our lives.

Now in my village, we have a committee of herd boys who are fighting hard to report cases of abuse. I am making a plea to every man in Lesotho to make it their assignment in their communities. We young men should work together to end violence against girls and women in any form.”

Three years after completing the program, Tsita continues to share what he learned and advocate against gender-based violence. During a conversation with Help Lesotho, he said the program changed him forever. He had been a harsh man, thoughtlessly abusing women sexually. He said that once he started the program he stopped completely and never did it again. To this day, whenever he sees a woman or girl being abused he either tries to stop it or he reports it.

He said that he learned how important it was to know his HIV status, to get tested regularly and to get treatment if required.

Tsita said that he tells people around his village that women must be respected and should never be abused because they have rights. He reported that because of the program, he became confident and can now express himself. Before that he had been so shy that he never spoke to others and could not express what was inside.

He said if it had not been for this program, he probably would have been in prison but now he will never go there because he knows how to do better.

He said that the donors who gave him this program must be very happy because his life will be better. He is a different man and he will make them proud.

Tebello is a bright and vivacious young woman who embodies the very best of Lesotho’s leaders of today! From the time she was in primary school, Tebello has been an active participant in Help Lesotho’s programs. Below you can read a touching tribute from Tebello to Help Lesotho.

Help Lesotho didn’t just give me money, they exposed me to numerous educational programs: young women’s conference, and leadership conference. After one of these empowering programs, I gained my self esteem… And I started singing at school assembly, that’s when I started growing my school talent. I never looked back, I became a better person, grew up knowledgeable about who I am, my rights and responsibilities, my purpose.

I learned a lot about HIV, and how I can participate in addressing the problems that come with it among the youth and the entire community. I also learned how to make better choices regarding my own health, so that I can be healthy, and support those infected with HIV. I have been working in an HIV care and treatment setting, and I am proud that I get to give back to those who need my services the most. As a pharmacist, I know that my attitude towards patient care determines “the overall outcome of patient care is it doesn’t matter how everyone is working hard in the heathcare setting, if I don’t have a right attitude to serve… My patients won’t go home with optimized care. I am glad that the seed someone planted in me since 2007 is bearing fruit in my area of practice daily.

I always celebrate how the adolescent and young girls’ programs are designed and framed to respond to real time challenges of youth in our beautiful country.

If Help Lesotho had not ministered hope in my life, maybe I would have been a victim of ‘childhood marriage’ that is very prevalent in the rural areas in Lesotho. As I celebrate a mile stone of graduating with a Masters Degree, I want to make Help Lesotho famous for shinning a light on my young life, and ministering Hope, so that I could become this unstoppable young energy that I am today. God has been soooo goooooood to me for giving me favour with you.

It was a journey worth taking, experienced a lot of challenges, from financial constraints as a self-sponsored student, balancing work, social life as a young girl, supporting my family…yet God helped me through it. I am forever grateful for the influence Help Lesotho has had on my life -and I apply all the principles in my life daily. First in 2007,I was taught to affirm myself that “I am wonderful”, and I was taught that I should Step up, and Speak Up…and most importantly, It’s a principle of my life that “As a leader, I should never give up”! Thank you very much for the counsel, prayers and all forms of mentorship and support-I intend to make you proud ALWAYS!”