A milestone for Help Lesotho's Gender Equity and Violence Prevention Programming
For far too many women and girls in Lesotho, a simple taxi ride to school, work, or the health clinic carries a hidden risk. Research has long shown that public transportation is one of the most common settings for gender-based violence (GBV) - a place where harassment, exploitation, and abuse go unchecked, quietly limiting women's freedom and participation in public life.
In 2025, Help Lesotho and our partner GIZ (The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) - through the regional initiative Partnership in Prevention for Gender-Based Violence in Southern Africa - took direct action to change that reality. The result was the Tsela Ts'oeu Project, which name means "safe ride home" in Sesotho.
The project abstract will be presented by GIZ at the International Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Summit taking place in June 2026 in Panama City, Panama.
Why Public Transport? Why Now?
The evidence for action was clear. A 2018 World Bank report found that taxis and minibuses account for 40% of daily trips in Lesotho - making public transport a critical artery of everyday life, especially for women and girls accessing education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Yet this same space has been a site of chronic abuse.
Studies documented taxi drivers demanding sexual favours from schoolgirls in exchange for free rides. A 2015 report from the Ministry of Education and Training flagged elevated rates of early and unintended pregnancies in Leribe district, closely linked to sexual violence in and around transport hubs. And Gender Links' 2014 GBV Indicators Study found that over 86% of Basotho women and girls have experienced GBV at some point in their lives.
The Tsela Ts'oeu Project focused its pilot on Leribe district - specifically the towns of Maputsoe, Hlotse, and Pitseng - precisely because this evidence pointed here.
The Approach: Drivers as Champions, Not Bystanders
The project's Theory of Change was grounded in a powerful insight: the people most able to prevent GBV in public transport are the people already there - the drivers, marshals, and taxi association members who shape the culture of the rank every single day.
Rather than treating taxi operators as the problem, Tsela Ts'oeu invited them to be part of the solution. Through structured training and peer-education sessions, a cadre of GBV Champions was developed from within the industry itself. These Champions led peer-to-peer conversations at taxi ranks, reaching fellow drivers, helpers, and marshals with practical knowledge about recognising, preventing, and responding to GBV.
The project also engaged at the institutional level, partnering with the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development; the Ministry of Public Works and Transport; the Ministry of Police and Public Safety; and local taxi owners' associations. This multi-stakeholder approach ensured that GBV prevention was endorsed as policy, not just as a one-off training event.
Additional activities included a public launch event, a call-in radio show, mass SMS awareness campaigns, and GIRL4ce edutainment performances - meeting community members where they are, in the languages and formats they engage with most.
The Results: Exceeding Every Target
The numbers tell a compelling story.
Indicator
Target
Achived
Direct beneficiaries reached through peer education
800
Indirect beneficiaries reached through GBV prevention campaigns
15,000
But perhaps the most striking result came from the pre- and post-program surveys of the 12 taxi associations involved. At the start of the project, only 19% reported meaningful awareness of GBV advocacy. By the end, that figure had reached 100%.
More than statistics, the Champions' own words capture what changed on the ground:
"Taught passengers about different forms of abuse; individuals realised they had been abusing each other and reconciled."
"Took the victim to the police station and reported the perpetrator."
"Intervened with colleagues; acted immediately to stop the GBV incident."
These are not passive observers. These are people who have internalised a new responsibility - and are acting on it.
What We Learned: Best Practices for Lasting Change
The Tsela Ts'oeu Project generated important lessons that will inform Help Lesotho's future programming.
Frontline actors make the best champions. When drivers, marshals, and association members are the messengers, the message lands differently. Their peer-led sessions at taxi ranks created an unexpected ripple effect - reaching street vendors, commuters, and passers-by who were never formally enrolled in the project. GBV awareness spread organically into the wider community.
Structured oversight sustains momentum. A dedicated steering committee brought key stakeholders together under a shared framework, creating accountability and a feedback loop for continuous improvement. This kind of governance infrastructure is what turns a pilot into something lasting.
Connected to Our Mission: Gender Equity and Violence Prevention
This project sits at the heart of Help Lesotho's Gender Equity and Violence Prevention Impact Pillar. We believe that gender equity is not achieved through awareness alone - it requires changing the structures, norms, and daily interactions that either enable violence or prevent it.
The Tsela Ts'oeu Project did exactly that. It changed what happens in a taxi rank in Leribe. It changed what a driver does when a passenger is being harassed. It changed whether a girl arriving for school is safe on the journey there.
These are the kinds of changes that accumulate into a more just and equitable society - and they begin with the courage to act in the spaces most of us overlook.
A Partnership That Made It Possible
We extend our deep gratitude to GIZ and the Partnership in Prevention for Gender-Based Violence in Southern Africa for their funding and commitment to this work. Sustainable change at this scale requires partners who share the vision and the resolve. We are proud to stand alongside GIZ in pursuit of a Lesotho where gender-based violence does not dominate everyday life.
