Malintle Sekorobele – Lesotho

I am a program manager responsible for all programs at Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM). Our work is centered around sustainable development and our focus is on small scale farmers in Lesotho. In particular on the issue of gender, we look at women’s empowerment through addressing the issue of food security.

I first heard about Gender Links from a friend who is a member of the Dynamic Women’s Club in Lesotho. She became interested in the work that GL does when they shared experiences and problems they faced in their work and realized there were similarities. Her friend introduced Ntolo (the GL Country Assistant in Lesotho) to her and this is where their relationship began. Ntolo invited me to take a video during one of our visits to a teenage mothers home, and during the visit Ntolo explained the work that GL does to me, and added information on the GJLG Summit. I saw the opportunity to apply for the summit, to showcase the work we do. Through that, I was exposed to the work Gender Links does as an organization.

Now, I see many opportunities to work with Gender Links, and I’m confident that a partnership with the organisation would be beneficial. I learned through coming to the summit how GBV is being addressed, and I feel I am learning a lot from watching how others have tried to address the problem in their countries. This year I am in the ‘Support’ category for GBV, and I feel there is more I can learn. In the future, I would like to see more training taking place in Lesotho.