January 2020, the realization of a dream deferred! That was what Tebello Matsoso felt as she opened the doors to her rondavel-shaped pre-school for children from the small community of Mantsonyane in Thaba-Tseka. 35 school kids, aged between 2 and 4, clad in a maroon-coloured uniform ran through the room with springs in their steps. Adorning the walls of the rondavel were various pictures of the alphabet, numbers and animals, also in big bold letters was, Welcome to Moment of Happiness Pre-school. The small rondavel was thatched and had neatly placed coloured chairs for the children. The light radiated from the middle of the room, powered by solar energy. Within the room were multiple play toys for the children to play around with.

 

My heart was full, just seeing what Tebello had achieved. I had worked closely with Tebello for the past year as she had laboured continuously, serving the community initiative as a volunteer in a youth development programme focused on life skills. She had told me about her dream to have a pre-school, where she would be able to create employment and also put her educator skills to the test. Tebello Matsoso, a 28-years old ambitious Mosotho woman was determined not to become an unemployed youth statistic. She was among the 29% of Basotho youths who face unemployment. After graduating from the Lesotho College of Education, some 5 years back, she had only worked at a 1-year duration project run by one of the NGOs in Lesotho, after which the project ended, she was embattled in a never-ending cycle of unemployment. The youth unemployment in Lesotho affects females more adversely than the males according to the Lesotho National Youth Policy of 2017. Most of the youths have long given up on ever finding jobs within the government as positions there are plagued by corruption and nepotism. 

 

The opportunities for jobs are even less in the rural and remote areas. Due to a lot of services not being decentralized, it is not easy for a lot of youths in the rural areas to apply for job positions, especially those that do not allow email or online application formats. Another hindrance being is the inaccessibility to newspaper delivery at the remote areas. The disparity between rural and urban areas is very high, in terms of service availability, delivery and developmental progress. For instance, Thaba-Tseka has no private school at all. After saving the little she could, Tebello and her partner had finally managed to open up their kindergarten. They had filled a gap within Mantsonyane, where there had been a steady rise of people from different districts relocate because of the St James Hospital. The new residents often left their children in the lowlands, due to lack of good kindergarten schools. 

 

“In March, when the government announced a nationwide lockdown and closed down schools, I was crestfallen. The school would not only be out of income, but I was worried about the detrimental effects such as the fact that the children would backtrack while at home. Like everyone else, we were hopeful that the lockdown would not take too long”, says Tebello. While schools had closed, Tebello had to move back home to Mashai, further deeper within the rural district. The COVID-19 lockdown was meant to be for just 21 days, but it increased to a further 14 days. Despite the loss of income, Tebello and her partner still had to find means to pay rent at their school. While they could go without salaries, paying the rent was non-negotiable. 

 

Faced with this insurmountable task in hand, Tebello did not sit on her laurels when she got back home in Mashai. She realised that with the COVID-19 lockdown, in order to aid with the social distancing policy, it would be helpful to have a small shop in the village to provide some small food supplies. With the lockdown restrictions being against crowding of people in taxis, for the small rural community which has only one taxi operating, this  would be a huge setback in the daily operations of the villagers. 

 

“I started operating my spaza shop during the lockdown, this has not only helped me generate income in order to pay rent for the school but also to help out my fellow villagers. I believe that charity begins at home, hence it is up to me to be the change that I want to see in the world”, says Tebello. Asked on what gave her strength to actually persevere on during the lockdown when everyone is anxious and doubtful about the future, Tebello indicated that she found strength in thinking about others and not herself, and also knowing that her dreams were valid and would still be realized even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“I know that we are all suffering, but I find solace in knowing that Lieta tseo ke li roetseng ha li kholo ho nfeta. This Basotho saying meaning that the shoes one walks in, can never be too big for them, indicates that no problem is too heavy to bear. I have seen a lot of goodness come out of this pandemic, I have seen Basotho rallying together to help the less fortunate during the pandemic. It was just like the old days, where the true meaning of Ubuntu was realised”, she further noted.

 

Tebello is one of the resilient Basotho youths who have managed to persevere during the COVID-19 pandemic, and not just despair and look at the negative effects of the pandemic. In the true essence of Basotho, young women have risen up to take their rightful place during the pandemic and strive to make a difference in Lesotho. The future of Lesotho belongs to the young and fearless young women like Tebello, who are exemplary leaders in their own right!

 

Mantsebeng Suzan Maepe is a vivacious social activist hailing from the mountain Kingdom Lesotho with passion for youth development and women’s economic empowerment. She is an economics student, a freelance writer, development facilitator and SDGs advocate involved in community development initiatives geared at tackling girls' sexual and reproductive health, micro-finance to foster economic empowerment and is a pioneer for women's rights.

Mantsebeng is an adventurer at heart and an adrenaline junkie as she believes that facing her fears makes her courageous in life. She considers herself as a storyteller at heart, and a pan african feminist.