Five Lithabaneng schools become “Child Friendly”

Ha Matala – The sod turning event of the five hub schools project took place on May 21, 2021 from 10 am to 12 pm at Seboka Primary School. 

Action Ireland Trust (AIT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Rise International is building much-needed running water toilets, school kitchens, rain water harvesting facilities and food gardens for five schools in the Lithabaneng area. 

These are Seboka Primary, Makoanyane Primary, Leqele Primary, Lithabaneng Primary and Lithabaneng High School.

The project involves facilitating “Child Friendly Schools” which is based on the simple premise that schools can and should operate in the best interests of the child. 

As well as providing the much-needed infrastructure improvements, this project also includes teacher training and equipping learners with additional life and entrepreneurial skills. 

With about 5000 learners enrolled in the 5 schools there is great need for sanitation, so until new toilet blocks have been built, while mobile hand wash stations have been installed to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

Community participation is key in the sustainability of this project, hence the surrounding communities of Lithabaneng, Ha Matala and Ha Leqele were consulted in the design phase and will also be engaged in the implementation and recruited in the construction of these projects. 

AIT is an Irish charity that provides skills exchange programmes in Education, Healthcare, Information Technology, Planning and Development, Architecture, Construction, Agriculture, Sport and Recreation. 

“We are so pleased that we have progressed our involvement in the education sector in Lesotho where we have had a presence since 2011 running school building projects, mentoring of teachers and classroom assistance,” said AIT’s CEO, Fran Whelan.

Daniela Gusman, the Founder of rise international said, “rise is very proud to be the implementing partner of this project because it aligns perfectly with some of our core values which are community driven development and social enterprise.” 

Ministry of Education and Training CEO Primary, Thuto Nts’ekhe Mokhehle, said: “We are faced with the challenge of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular, the Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for promoting and achieving SDG 4, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Action Ireland Trust is supporting and working with the Ministry in addressing this goal. The investment by AIT in education in Lesotho is significant and crucial towards the achievement of SDG4; and for this we are very grateful for their support.”