MAPASEKA MPHAHAMA

Mapaseka has a BA in social work, and is passionate about youth development and engagement, women empowerment and leadership and working with children. She currently works at Sentebale charity organization as a social worker leading a team of 5 case management workers. She is a 2020 ambassador for the World Literacy Foundation and is an advocate for human welfare and a voice of the marginalized and vulnerable groups in society.

“I encountered a resilient version of myself where I knew that there is no limit to what I as a woman could achieve.”

Q: Tell us a few things about your country, and also your life's story!

My country is Lesotho, located in the southern hemisphere. It is a mountainous country completely landlocked by South Africa. It is known for its two main exports: water and diamonds. It has several outstanding destinations for sightseeing; The Maletsunyane Falls and Afriski Mountain resort, to name a few. It has the “highest lowest point” of any country. No other nation can claim a base altitude as lofty as Lesotho's – 4,593ft (1,400m). It is the only independent state on the planet which exists entirely above 1,000m (3,281ft). Hence its apt nickname – “Kingdom of the Sky”. 

Growing up, I lived with my mother and father until I was four when my mother took the decision to pursue a degree in civil engineering in Ghana. This meant I had to stay with relatives, as with Africans and especially back in those days, fathers were perceived unfit to care for children. I would see my mother once a year for four years. Besides that, live was normal; all my basic needs were provided for. Upon her completion, she came home but the situation in the household wasn't healthy. I stayed in boarding school during high school so that made me exempt to some of the toxicity. There were fights between my parents, and as a child I was just in a helpless situation. Fast-forward to my second year in tertiary, I fell pregnant and became a single mother. Though it wasn't a walk in the park, I made a conscious decision to go on and complete my degree. At this time, my parents separated and I went to live with my mother in a different town - that's where I currently live. Looking back at my life, I believe I have been guided by God all this time. As a Christian, even when I didn't know Him, I chose social work as my profession which helps to understand how my past traumas have affected me, and how I can navigate through it all to find healing. Furthermore, I deem it my responsibility to now assist people who have experienced the same challenges. It offers me a sense of purpose.

Q: What was your experience of the global pandemic crisis? Did it change your life and/or your views about the world? If so, how?

The pandemic left me in quite a state of shock. I never imagined anything that would bring the whole world to a halt in that manner. Watching economies decline as people lost jobs, businesses collapse and children being out of school for that long with no guarantee of going back, was horrifying. Personally, I encountered a few glitches as I had to take my child to a school with necessary resources, and that meant it had to be a more expensive one. I had to work from home with limited resources as companies were not ready for that kind of shift. This put strain on employees. My high was that I got a job in the midst of a pandemic after being unemployed for two years. It is imperative that we strive towards capacity-building in the area of digital inclusion. A sense of community within societies is essential - we especially witnessed youth coming out to assist vulnerable communities. NGOs have played a huge role in this era, in aiding Governments in combating the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Q: What are some of the key challenges in your society currently?

Poverty; youth unemployment; exclusion of persons with disabilities and lack of education. Covid-19 has amplified these already existing challenges.

Q: Can you share with us some of the hurdles that you have had to overcome in your life so far? How did you handle them? 

The first would be surviving in a home where my mother experienced abuse. I learned not to give too much attention to the situation because too much worry wasn't going to help me. I just prayed that I would be delivered out of that situation and eventually I was. Being a young mother in varsity, I had to look at the bigger picture, focus on who I wanted to be in the eyes of my child. That’s why I persevered even in the toughest of times. I got a different perspective on life and discovered my purpose in the process. I came to the realisation that I was tapping into my highest self as I began to gain new knowledge and worked towards self-development. I encountered a resilient version of myself where I knew that there is no limit to what I as a woman could achieve, I found a confidence in my capacity to handle challenges and realised that I am enough.

Q: If you were to ask one thing from our current leaders, what would it be?

Why decide to be a leader if you are not a patriot? Why manipulate situations and people for personal gain? Why so much lack of principles and morals? Where is your conscience? Will the crisis in leadership, especially in Africa, ever have a solution? How can you expect youth to be invested in politics when the commotion keeps climbing to greater heights?

Q: Why is the role of a mentor important for you?

A mentor is important to guide me professionally and personally. They can assist me with some of my future endeavours through providing advice. Mentorship helps me gain a wider network, especially international networks, where I can learn about other countries and cultures and thus promote diversity. I am able to learn and gain new skills from my mentor, and it's a relief to have someone to consult with on issues that I may feel I am not yet ready to tackle.

Q: Do you have a lesson that life has taught you and you would like to share? 

Focus on yourself, improve yourself, nurture yourself. You attract positive vibes and people with the same morals, principles and integrity when you operate from your highest self. Moreover, teach people how to treat you, by what you allow. You can't change people. Only God can.

Q: Name a project, a foundation or a person in your country that you think is doing great work in helping improve other people's lives!

The Rotary club of Maloti is doing a phenomenal job in my country in helping the less fortunate. It is an international organization that is comprised of business people and professionals who use expertise from their area of vocation to collaborate on projects and bring about change in the community. It works through different service projects; for instance, donating books to schools in rural communities, helping with planting of crops for teenage mothers, recently donating PPE and helping families where children could not go to school as they did not have uniform and where new born babies needed clothes. These needs were met by the Rotary Club of Maloti through donations from its members and sometimes through fundraising and membership fees. There are many other projects that have been undertaken by the club as it has been in existence for a significant number of years. It is a club created specifically for community development by humanitarians who are change makers.

Q: What are some of the challenges that women in your country face and what efforts are being made towards gender equality?

Women in my country face gender-based violence and unemployment. There are several local and international NGO's that collaborate to tackle these issues through projects that promote household economic strengthening activities, programs and campaigns through media. Gender links and SHE Hive organizations are an example of those. With unemployment, currently the government is providing little or no intervention at all and women just survive through self-employment or factory work. Many of them lack capital and skills to start businesses, leaving them stuck. Unemployment is a pandemic in my country. There's no enforcement of policies that incorporate women in the workplace.

Q: Share with us a phrase, a poem or a story that you love or you find interesting!

''Once you realize the power of your tongue, you won't just say anything. When you realize the power of your thoughts, you won't entertain just anything and once you realize the power of your presence, you won't just be anywhere.''

Q: Can you share with us a project that you would like to make happen for your country or a cause that you are passionate about? 

I am passionate about helping women, especially young mothers. I read an article by the World Bank Africa about a project that has assisted women's economic participation in Burkina Faso. As a working single mother, I know first-hand how challenging it is when you would like to earn a living for your child but there's no one to take care of them. This project is about mobile childcare facilities. In the quest to combat unemployment, women in Burkina Faso were provided jobs ranging from cutting trees, weeding and cleaning out gutters. This meant even pregnant women were seeking out those kinds of hard labour jobs without making employers aware of their condition as they were desperate.

Mobile childcare units exist so that mothers are able to be effective and productive at work when they know their children are well taken care of. They are stationed near the women's place of work so that even during breaks, breastfeeding women can feed their children and go back to work. Children partake in lessons around play and learning activities developed by specialists as it is also essential for them to receive stimulation through early childcare development. Pregnant women are trained to look after children and they gain parenting skills as well. Eventually when contracts end, women have saved up enough money to start small businesses like salons or buying fridges to sell water and juice. This project is one that resonates with me, my passion and my country. Most women in rural areas would like to work to be able to support their families, but they cannot due as most do not have qualifications. Besides that, there is no one to look after their children. I would also incorporate psychosocial support as a social worker, to accompany all the other skillsets gained by women in this initiative.