From Participants to Leaders: The Power of Full-Circle Impact

Mar 19, 2026

There is a powerful story unfolding inside Help Lesotho, and you are part of it.

Today, 82% of Help Lesotho’s all-Basotho staff in Lesotho are alumni of our programs.

This means the majority of the team leading workshops, mentoring youth, supporting caregivers, and strengthening communities once sat in those same classrooms and camps themselves.

They were once:

Students receiving sponsorship
Youth attending leadership camps
Participants in life skills programs
Young people navigating adversity

And now, they are the mentors. The leaders. The role models.

This is what long-term impact looks like.

Your support has not only helped young people succeed, it has helped build a generation of local leaders who are now strengthening their own communities.

When young people have access to education, mental health support, and opportunity, something powerful happens:

They return.
They invest.
They lead.

This full-circle impact is what makes Help Lesotho’s work sustainable. Programs are shaped by people who deeply understand the challenges facing Basotho youth – because they have lived them. It builds trust, strengthens relationships, and ensures that support is both meaningful and lasting.

Most importantly, it reflects something deeply important: hope multiplied.

Meet the Leaders You’ve Helped Shape

I am Thato Let’sela, my journey with Help Lesotho began in January 2014 through the Leaders in Training (LIT) program. After successfully completing the program, I became part of the selected candidates to join Help Lesotho as a Professional Intern. I was further offered a position as centre supervisor which marked the beginning of my professional career with the organisation. As I continued to grow within the family, I was appointed in March 2025 as the Programs Manager.

Help Lesotho’s recruitment approach is highly effective because many staff members were once beneficiaries themselves. Having experienced the impact of the organisation first-hand, we are able to connect more meaningfully with current beneficiaries. This shared experience strengthens our emotional and social awareness, enabling us to provide the necessary care, guidance, and support.

Furthermore, this approach contributes significantly to the sustainability of the organisation. By nurturing leaders from within, Help Lesotho ensures that its culture, values, and vision are preserved and carried forward.

Tsepo, get-a-job workshop, help lesotho, 2025

I am Khotso Matekoa, I joined Help Lesotho as a LIT participant in 2019 and later became a Professional Intern.

Today, I am part of Help Lesotho staff since 2022 as the computer instructor. My journey has helped me to understand the culture of the organisation and feel the joy of being served with a full heart which ultimately has instilled in me to serve others equally and even better.

My name is Thato Lenong, I became part of Help Lesotho first through its Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) as a student at Molapo High School. I then transitioned to joining two more programs which are the LIT and Professional Intern program.

Transitioning from being a beneficiary to staff has prepared my mind set as I have learned and first understood about effective communication, leadership skills and team work. This also has invested more in my commitment to my work because I know how it is to receive the kindness from our support, therefore I also live to make change and model to the participants the kindness that I once was on the receiving end.

Because of the programs, I am confident, resilient and assertive most of the time.