Quthing, April 14 — In an effort to start implementation of Regeneration of Livelihoods and Landscape (ROLL) Project activities in Telle and Tosing community councils, community leaders from the councils attended a one-day planning meeting in Upper Moyeni on Thursday.
Addressing participants at the event, the Quthing District Administrator Mrs. ‘Mapaseka K’hesa appealed to the community leaders to decide to fully support ROLL project activities for the benefit of the Quthing community and economic development of the district.
Mrs. K’hesa stated that the project will engage different activities of the choice of the community for restoration of Letša-La-Letsie, the natural lake with international wetlands significance, and also improve the livelihoods of the community.
She added that the dedication of the district leaders in support of this project will improve the lives of the Quthing community.
Presenting the project at the same event, the District Project Field Officer Ms. Moselantja Rahlao said the project’s main objective is to ensure that rural communities adopt and transform practices for regenerated landscape and livelihoods leading to improved nutrition and adaptation to climate change.
She said the project outcomes include changed resource use practices, reduction of environmental degradation and improved livelihoods, adding that activities to attain this objective will come from the community while the technical expense to successfully implement the activities will be provided by Roll.
The Project Field Officer noted that initially the project was to be implemented in five district excluding Quthing as it was not included in the project proposal but due to the international significance of Letša-La-Letsie found in Quthing, the international sponsors of ROLL project proposed that the roll project activities be implemented at Letša-La-Letsie thus, leaders and community from the project area should work hard for successful implementation of the project activities.
She further said the project will support community based organisations that are already making an effort on implementation of projects in line with the project main objective to transform practices for regenerated landscapes and sustainable livelihoods leading to improved nutrition and adaptation to climate change. She said this effect the Sesotho saying ‘moketa ho tsosoa o itekang’ meaning the first help is provided to one who is already making an effort.
The Roll Project Knowledge Management and Learning Officer Mr. Tšita Tšita said Chiefs and community councillors at the meeting are expected to feel free to ask anything they do not understand about the project to ensure that they sing the same song with the District Project team during public awareness on Implementation Project activities.
Mr. Tšita pointed out that the project is working with different government departments at district level, adding that the project activities will be identified, prioritised and implemented by the community to promote ownership and sustainability of the project activities.
Speaking at the same event the Area Chief Seforong in Mphaki community Council, Chief Sempe Nkuebe expressed gratitude for the project which he said there is hope that it will be different from other projects that have been implanted in at Letša-La-Letsie for their personal benefit claiming to support the recovery of the area for the benefit of the Quthing community.
The Chairperson of Mphaki Community Council Mrs. Maikaneng Lekaota expressed gratitude for the project and promised that as community leaders they will work hand in hand to make its implementation a success for the benefit of the community.
The Chief of Ha-Kelebone in Seforong area Chief Mohlori Nkuebe appealed to the project staff to talk to the higher level officials that include Ministers, Principal Secretaries and Directors to speed up processes to pass the Laws parliament mostly of ranges and environment management to make it easier to take legal measures against those who deliberately ignore developments.
Meanwhile attendants at the meeting also drew a schedule to start public awareness campaigns on the project implementation to be held at different villages within the project area and they are scheduled for next month.
The project area covers some different villages in Mphaki community council and some villages of Telle and of Tosing community councils.
The Roll project is also implemented in Thaba-Tseka, Leribe, Berea, Qacha’s Nek, and Botha-Bothe. The project is funded by different international development partners that include; International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD) Food and Agricultural Association (FAO) Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the government of Lesotho with about M700 Million.
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