U.S. Embassy Maseru

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254 Kingsway Road, Maseru 100
Added by Jopie, at 18 May 2018

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• Anynomous

  27 June 2018

  As Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales continues to travel across the country to meet Basotho where they live and work, Berea District became the fifth of the ten that she stopped by last week, having arrived here a few months ago. First she toured the Holy Family Health Center, Maqhaka, that was constructed under the first Millennium Challenge Corporation - MCC compact. She learned how the #PEPFAR support to the clinic has improved HIV services to the community, including an additio...n of a specialized Men’s Clinic that has increased the number of men being served by more that five times since opening. Ambassador Gonzales then saw a layers project at the Mohatlane Community Education Centre funded through the PEPFAR Small Grants program to support orphans and vulnerable children, people affected by HIV, and community support groups. She later stopped by the district capital; #Teyateyaneng (TY) where she meet with the Berea District Administrator for a discussion on current and potential areas of collaboration to further strengthen our partnership and the development agenda. The Ambassador then closed off the tour with a live radio interview with the TY-based Molisa ea Molemo FM. If you live in either Leribe, Butha-Buthe, Mohale's Hoek, Quthing, or Qacha's Nek, be on the look out for a visit from Ambassador Gonzales soon. The second edition of #TheAmbassadorsBlog is also in works. #USLesothoPartnership #ToTheNext50

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• Anynomous

  20 June 2018

  And now for our twelfth and final #YALI2018LS personal profile, we get to meet Lekhooa Mlany Monts'i, our #BusinessAndEntrepreneurship Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders participant who is now headed to Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia.

  Lekhooa Monts'i Lekhooa Monts'i is an accountant by profession and is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Legal Voice Lesothoi, an insurance company specializing in legal coverage and advice. He... joined the company as the Head of Finance and Accounts where he was tasked with developing a financial and operational strategy, and developing and monitoring control systems. He has since worked his way to the company's upper echelons. Outside of this profession, he is the cofounder and director of a furniture manufacturing business called Lounge City, which has two retail stores in the capital Maseru. In the first two years of operation, Lounge City made quite a substantial amount in revenue from its two retail outlets and has since extended its operations into Johannesburg, South Africa - Lesotho's closest neighbor. Monts'i also has an interest in the civic sector and is the cofounder and Executive Director of Help4Helpless Organization, an NGO that works with 75 orphaned primary school children through its piggery project kickstarted with a U.S. Embassy Maseru grant back in 2012. The project remains self-sustaining to date. He plans to expand his retail business into different regions of the country and hopes to further develop his business, entrepreneurship and corporate leadership acumen.

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• Anynomous

  18 June 2018

  We are about to wrap up, here is profile number eleven of the twelve Basotho #YALI2018LS Fellows who fly out in a matter of hours now: Thato Chobokoane Thato Chobokoane works with the World Food Program as a Community Liaison Officer. Her zeal for people has helped grow her small brand that sells perfume and enables other women to earn an income through commission. Through her company, 'Mamasianoke Communications, she wishes to make greater strides in women empowerment by del...ving into issues of women in prison and their reintegration into society. She believes that women prisoners form part of the greatly marginalized sector of Lesotho’s population. They end up behind bars because of poverty and lack of opportunities resort to making prison their second home. Fueled by the desire to serve women in vulnerable circumstances, Thato is working with the Lesotho Correctional Services to start a rehabilitation project that involves teaching female prisoners how to manufacture bath soap, petroleum jelly, massage ointments, and household cleaning products. These products will be put up for retail with the intention of helping these women generate some earnings as they work so that upon release, they will have capital to start a small business for which they will already have skills for production. The project also intends to guide the ladies on how to manage their businesses once integrated into society. Thato is headed to the University of Minnesota where she will be mentored for the next six weeks as a #PublicManagement Fellow in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

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• Anynomous

  17 June 2018

  Three days to departure, three more #YALI2018LS profiles to checkout. Today we focus on: Pontso Tsoeunyane Ponts’o Ts’oeunyane’s does not shy away from challenging complex issues that face her community; instead she uses her own drive and commitment to fight for solutions. She has become a dedicated community developer with ten years of experience in social development and research, social policy, education, child protection and lecturing. Through her efforts, the beneficiar...ies of programs now have improved access to health and sustainable income and nutritional farming projects. In 2015, she worked with relevant stakeholders in order to scale-up community development initiatives in her community and within just two years, the numbers of projects as well as beneficiaries increased by 60 percent. Ponts’o is a natural community builder who continues to impact lives positively through her role as manager for Social Development Services under the Ministry of Social Development where she is responsible for coordinating provision of quality social services in the district. She facilitates implementation of service delivery programs where she supervises and monitors social development services and also ensures development of staff in the district and coordinates district budget and performance management of staff. She has also taken on another role as an environmental champion working to address issues of land misuse and degradation. Her long term aspiration is to increase agricultural production through land reclamation programs that can see rescued land being used for crops. This #PublicManagment Fellow will be at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for this year's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

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• Anynomous

  16 June 2018

  Our #YALI2018LS profile series focuses on a #PublicManagement Fellow, Mpho Maema today.

  Advocate Mpho Maema is an accomplished human rights activist specializing in cases that include succession law, inheritance rights, police brutality and land cases. she is the founder of women’s law clinic, an NGO that empowers women in rural areas by educating them about their rights and handling their legal cases pro bono. she also trains young girls on human rights issues such as comba...tting child marriage, human trafficking, sexual reproduction health rights, and the importance of education. Mpho also works with the Child and Gender Protection Unit (a specialized division of the police), clinical psychologists, and area chiefs in various communities to train them about evidence procedures in cases of gender based violence, rape and issues faced by the LGBTI community. A longtime member of #YALInetwork, she has and continues to utilize #YALILearns courses and the #AFRICA4HER initiative for her advocacy works. Mpho is also involved in a campaign that collects and donates sanitary towels for underprivileged girls to keep them in schools at all times. In future, she hopes to go into politics. She is already making efforts to encourage other Basotho women to join the political arena through her establishment of caucuses where she teaches women the importance of being involved in policy making and politics. Georgia State University will be Mpho's base for the next six weeks as she participates in this year's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

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• Anynomous

  12 June 2018

  We were thrilled to attend the inauguration of Lesotho first Solar-Powered Aquaponics Greenhouse farm project St. James Primary School in Maseru on Monday. Our PEPFAR Small Grants program awarded the Nalane Foundation 373,000 Maloti to construct this amazing project in 2016 to support Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC), people affected by HIV/AIDS, and an after-school program at the school. Chargé D'Affaires Melissa Schumi Jones praised the organization for this achievement, adding that this was proof that Lesotho’s agricultural industry has the ability to grow, to innovate, and to thrive. Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki and the Minister of Finance Dr. Moeketsi Majoro also attended the event. We wish Nalane Foundation continued success as it refines and expands its innovative program.

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• Anynomous

  07 June 2018

  Here is the seventh of our twelve 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders participants who will represent Lesotho in this year's Fellowship in the United States: Tieho Mochebelele Tieho is a rare combination of an innovator, public speaker, and technology consultant who dabbles in software development. Mochebelele founded and is Director of African Technology Institute, a soon-to-be launched online technology school and consulting firm. The institute hope...s to address technology challenges in Lesotho as he believes doing so will play a vital part in elevating Lesotho’s ranking on the Human Development Index. Tieho believes that Lesotho’s small size can be a catalyst for accelerated synergies in development and has spoken publicly on this issue, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry; First National Bank; Vodacom Lesotho and World Economic Forum Global Shapers. He argued that Lesotho needs strong structural planning in order for it to become a global technology player and leader. Tieho knows there is great potential for unprecedented economies of scale through IT specialization and aspires to be at the forefront of this technological revolution. His community engagement started during his International Baccalaureate Diploma years and continues, both in his own capacity and through collaborations with organizations like the World Economic Forum Global Shapers - Maseru Hub. He has also worked as head of Business Development and Information Management at Doorstep Deliveries, a Maseru-based online shopping and delivery company. This #YALI2018LS #BusinessAndEntrepreneurship Fellow will be based at University of Notre Dame for the duration of the #MWF2018 program.

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• Anynomous

  06 June 2018

  Our #YALI2018LS series focuses on Rethabile Mathealira-Molapo, a #CivicLeadership finalist for the upcoming Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Rethabile Mathealira-Molapo Rethabile is an accomplished lawyer and Mental Health Advocate who works to promote awareness of mental health conditions and to address limitations in Lesotho’s health care options. Her passion is to develop her knowledge in the psychological, economic, and social aspects of mental he...alth and help others with similar challenges. After working in litigation and community rights education, she initiated a successful project on the empowerment of women in political leadership. This project helped rural women challenge traditional views on their roles in society. Rethabile has since founded an organization called Touching Minds Association - only mental health NGO in the country -- focused on the mental health needs of Basotho. She was inspired by her own struggles and not having a support structure on which to rely. She personally experienced the challenges of seeking assistance with local mental health facilities and saw what others also went through. She then made it her mission to embark on raising awareness about the importance of mental health and opening up conversations around the subject. Through her role as Executive Director of Touching Minds Association, she advocates for services that promote the recovery of persons with psychosocial difficulties. As part of her awareness raising efforts, Rethabile has guest lectured with counseling students at the National University of Lesotho and plans to hold these lectures on an ongoing basis. Additionally, she is a mental health talk columnist for Finite Magazine. She is an avid reader and researcher and is currently studying towards her second degree, a BA in Psychology and Development Studies with the University of South Africa. Rethabile will be at Drexel University for the duration of this year's Fellowship.

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• Anynomous

  05 June 2018

  Today's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders #YALI2018LS profile is: Maneo Seekane Maneo is the founder and director of Start Smart, a business consultancy company that specializes in Professional Business Coaching and business guidance for small business owners. Through this company, she works on expanding and developing proper business systems and models, which employees with minimal skills can use to deliver valuable services to clients. A certified prof...essional business coach, Maneo has recently completed her MBA in Entrepreneurship and Leadership with Amity University in India. She is also the founder of a marketing company called Maneo Communications, which specializes in branding and printing. Her passion for entrepreneurship and employment creation and her dedication to helping small businesses to grow have seen her consult for organizations such as the Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation (BEDCO) and SMME Support Network - Lesotho. She also contributes as a business management trainer and coach in these two organizations, where she coaches and trains small business owners on how to best grow their businesses profitably. She has trained multiple groups and individuals through these organizations; mainly in agriculture, handicrafts, and service sectors. Maneo has also developed an operations manual that contains standards and processes of effective service delivery to clients and is currently working on systematizing this processes in order to effect proficiency in small businesses. She will be mentored in the #BusinessAndEntrepreneurship track at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

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• Anynomous

  05 June 2018

  This past weekend, Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales and the Deputy Minister of Health 'Manthabiseng Phohleli launched the #IamFollowingMyDREAMS campaign at Thaba Bosiu. This campaign, implemented by the Catholic Relief services (CRS), is supported through The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) DREAMS initiative – an ambitious $385 million partnership to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries including ...Lesotho. Girls and young women account for 74 percent of new HIV infections in this region. Ambassador Gonzales expressed her appreciation for the impact of the PEPFAR DREAMS initiative and the collaborative efforts between the #PEPFARLesotho team, the Ministry of Health and Implementing Partners to ensure that Adolescent Girls and Young Women are free from HIV. She urged them to seize their chance and follow their DREAMS. #EndAIDS #FightHIV #PEPFARSavesLives

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• Anynomous

  04 June 2018

  As our #YALI2018LS profile series continues, today we check out our first #CivicLeadership Fellow: Phant'si Makobane Makobane is a passionate civic leader and activist who was inspired by his own life experiences. After finding out that a family member suffered in silence for years due to fear of HIV-related stigma, he dedicated his life to spreading awareness and encouraging de-stigmatization of HIV infected people in his community. Makobane’s interest in working with grassr...oots groups, connecting them with relevant service providers and stakeholders and making a meaningful contribution towards alleviating poverty in communities led him to work with organizations such as the Lesotho National Council of Women. He is the Director of Disabled and HIV/ AIDS Organization Lesotho - DHAOL. where he works primarily with persons with disabilities, HIV infected and affected people, as well as other key populations, on matters concerning their basic human rights. His organization also focuses on democracy, understanding of HIV and other related illnesses, gender identity and financial independence amongst others. In his capacity as Director, he liaises and fosters relationships with local NGOs to provide services such as counseling, mentorship, and training in competence areas in order to influence an inclusive agenda. Makobane also worked closely with the Ministry of Gender, Sports, Youth and Recreation to address some of the challenges faced by young people and organized activities for International Youth Day under the Ministry’s banner. His six week Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders experience will take place at Wagner College, Staten Island in New York City.

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• Anynomous

  01 June 2018

  Our #YALI2018LS profile series continues: ‘Mafalimehang Tjabane ‘Mafalimehang is a Youth Development Skills Officer focused on adolescents and youth, particularly on the protection and empowerment of girls. Her dedication to these issues stems from the higher HIV prevalence for girls in Lesotho and the fact that gender-based violence is also experienced by many young girls in the country. Her vision is to see young girls fully access relevant information through comprehensi...ve sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health, awareness of gender based violence, and psycho-social support, so that they can make informed decisions for their future. Mafalimehang’s other interests include combating high rates of teenage pregnancy as well as alcohol and drug abuse among young Basotho. She believes that these issues hinder youth development and hamper the country’s economic growth. To this effect, Mafalimehang has organized comprehensive sexual education sessions with youth in her community where she encourages them to take part in sporting activities. A former sports devotee herself, she has dabbled in soccer, boxing, softball and was captain of Lesotho’s National Basketball team. In 2012, ‘Mafalimehang received a scholarship to further her studies at the University of Brunei Darussalam in southeast Asia, where she completed her Masters of Management degree. She is currently working as a volunteer with the United Nations Population Fund country office in the implementation of the annual work plan. ‘Mafalimehang will be placed at the University of Minnesota for the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders as a #PublicManagement Fellow.

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• Anynomous

  31 May 2018

  The second profile of one of the twelve #YALI2018LS fellows from Lesotho leaving for the United Sates soon is: Lehlohonolo Mokhoema At age 29, Mokhoema is the youngest political party leader in Lesotho. Mokhoema leads the Majalefa Development Movement (MDM), a political party that ran for the first time in the 2017 general elections. MDM began as a national youth movement seeking to advance social, economic and political interests of Basotho youth. The movement was also base...d on the premise that young Basotho are educated and highly skilled but lack the opportunity to use their skills to better themselves and their country. As Commander-in-Chief of the Movement, Mokhoema believes that their different approach to politics and more importantly, their youthfulness is an advantage and indicative of a better future for the youth of Lesotho. With no funding and very limited campaigning, the movement managed to contest in 40 constituencies and garner well over a thousand votes in last year’s national elections. Mokhoema’s mission is to change the political landscape in Lesotho by focusing on economic emancipation for youth. As a young patriotic Mosotho man, Mokhoema says he got tired of standing on the sidelines, throwing stones, and pointing fingers, so he took it upon himself to rally friends with similar goals and outlook to form a youth movement to serve the interests of every young person in Lesotho. His Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders experience will be at Bridgewater State University, Massachusetts, under the #PublicManagement track.

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• Anynomous

  30 May 2018

  With a couple of weeks to go before our twelve Basotho who were selected to take part in this year's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders depart for the United States for a six-week fellowship program, we are happy to share with you their individual profiles. Here is the first of the team that will fly this flag 🇱🇸 high among their Sub-Saharan counterparts from mid-June through to early August:

  Hape Marite Hape is the owner and Founder of Black Hair, an or...ganic hair product manufacturer and supplier that encourages women of color to appreciate and embrace their natural hair and beauty. Black Hair reaches its clients through organizing networking hair parties that include sale of organic hair products. Hape, who started her business to solve her own hair health problems, uses these networking sessions for sharing hair and beauty tips. She graduated from the National University of Lesotho with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing. Hape has branded and positioned her products successfully as some of the best within Lesotho and neighboring countries. She authors a regular column for Finite magazine focused hair health and beauty. She is also a swimming tutor as she believes that anyone with a special skill should use it to help others and generate income for themselves. A true entrepreneur at heart, Hape was bitten by the “business bug” as a young girl, when she realized the delicious sandwiches she made for school lunch could be sold. Together with a few friends, she started a successful sandwich-making business during the school break, which had her creating menus and marketing her sandwiches at office buildings. Hape is a beauty industry pioneer who hopes to inspire the next generation of young leaders to grow and diversify the manufacturing industry in Lesotho as a means to curb unemployment. She will spent six weeks at The University of Texas at Austin as a #BusinessAndEntrepreneurship mentee. #YALI2018LS

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• Anynomous

  29 May 2018

  Today we would like to congratulate our very own and say ‘Halaaalaaa’ to our Cultural Affairs Specialist, ‘M’e Rachel Mathabang Fanyane who graduated last week with a Master of Arts degree in Protocol and Soft Diplomacy Skills from the International School of Protocol and Diplomacy in Brussels, Belgium. ‘M’e Mathabang is an integral part of our Public Affairs Section, managing various cultural and exchange programs. We are so proud of how she represented Lesotho and the U.S. Embassy Maseru team! Re mo rolela Khaebane. Pele ea Pele ngoan'e motle.

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• Anynomous

  25 May 2018

  Happy Africa/Heroes Day! Are you traveling somewhere this long weekend? If you missed it earlier in the week, Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales has been out and about, and she has put together a travel blog that you can read at: go.usa.gov/xQmVq with highlights of her recent trip to Thaba-Tseka and Mokhotlong. Also check this 👇 Flickr album with some interesting shots from that tour. #TravelWithAmbGonzales

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