…do not hurt other human beings’
By Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU – Meet the 20 young men who underwent intensive mentorship and grooming on issues ranging from leadership to male-focused developmental information.
Last, Saturday witnessed a graduation ceremony of the Tataiso Male Engagement Master class Series first cohort in a pomp and circumstance ceremony. The recruits were certificated following successful completion of the leadership programme.
The founder of this one-year-long capacity-building initiative who is also the National University of Lesotho (NUL) law lecturer Advocate Mothepa Ndumo said the drilling focuses on “productively, healthily and robustly engaging young tertiary students in Lesotho on issues impacting the male and female genders insofar as the former interacts with the latter in our society”.
Also, an Industrial Sociologist, accredited executive, and leadership coach, and Thomas International psychometrics practitioner, Advocate Ndumo said there was a gap where a boy child was seemingly neglected whereas there are many opportunities afforded to a girl child.
The 12-month Tataiso Male Engagement Mentorship Programme is arguably the Lesotho-first in terms of its unique male-led coaching and mentorship design.
Advocate Ndumo who also earned the nickname of ‘Mabashanyana loosely translated as (mother of boys) added: “Engaging males and seeing them as human beings who deserve and require personalised attention is a matter of national importance if we are to address the GBV [Gender Based Violence], femicide, social exclusion and inclusion statistics and deficits in Lesotho.”
Although the programme targets teenagers and men until the age of 35 years, the founder said there is a need to accommodate those older than this youthful age.
The keynote speaker Koenene Leanya made an analogy between plants and human life, he said while plants do not need nurturing to grow, crops, on the other hand, require care and attention to grow, he reminded the graduates that they did not choose their parents and homes.
He said despite not having the opportunity to choose where they were born, they have a responsibility to manoeuvre in the situations that life may put them in.
“We are not responsible before we were born”.
Leanya told them life is “tough” but said they should “show up, act up and man up”.
Some of the beneficiaries are enrolled with the NUL and while some are knocking on the doors of the labour market for economic opportunities, others she said are applying for postgraduate studies.
One of the inductees, Tanaka Magaya said during the training they were told to be themselves and be in other persons ‘shoes’.
“In a population of eight billion people, what Tataiso did to us, was to own our shoes. The presumption is we have about eight billion shoes, they told us to take our shoes,” he said.
Magaya said the programme taught them that they are “not perfect” but highlighted that; “if we own up and still stay in our shoes, we can all be masters in our different areas of speciality”.
The Tataiso graduate further said the training afforded them an “attitude”.
He said the one-year journey had not been a walk in the park but it eventually proved its salt in the long run.
“We started as a team, we are brothers now.”
Also addressing the graduates, NUL Vice-Chancellor Prof Olusola Fajana expressed encouragement over the Tataiso’s founder, a member of NUL staff for engaging the community through this programme which he said is in line with the institution’s strategic development plan.
The former Dj cum academic highlighted that there is an imbalance that has led to misalignment between a boy child and a girl child, a move he argued has had consequences for the stability of the country including stability and harmony at homes, communities, and workplaces.
“It is my considered opinion that programmes such as Tatatiso Male Engagement Master class Series, promotes socio empathy for demographic in our society, that has for several reasons known to all of us, generated social empathy for a very long time,” he said.
The former magazine editor, author, poet, podcast host and entrepreneur Kojo Baffoe went to town on “living in the now”.
The author dissuaded from worrying, saying that brings future energy into the present and deters them from enjoying the present moment.
Baffoe who did the first master class after Advocate Ndumo said discipline is not “denial”.
“We are all as human beings dealing with so many different conflicting experiences, emotions and avenues… and can become very overwhelming. I have the power of living the life I want to live, regardless of the resources I have because the power is in the choices I make.”
The podcast host said everyone has the power of choice and should face such consequences.
“Healthily and productively engaged males are a boon for the labour market and any other sphere of private and public life because such males, who now possess an expanded awareness or consciousness and move differently in the world are much less likely to sexually harass their female counterparts, targets mostly youth up to 356 years, Advocate Ndumo said there is a demand to accommodate males suppliers and clients of business and organisations in general.
“But Male Engagement is not just about reducing these statistics and instrumentalising men to achieve our aims as women. Men are not objects, [and] neither are women. We are divine entities with purposes, missions, destinies, dreams and talents and gifts. All human beings, therefore, need interventions that see and honour their divinity first and their gender second. Whole, healed and healing human beings do not hurt other human beings,” she stressed.
Finances enthusiast and author Tokiso Nthebe talked about the importance of relating well to money.
The Metropolitan’s Sales Manager Letsika Chefa, who is one of the sponsors, said in future they will sponsor the awards on contributions to their societies.
He said they are anticipating the stories that are going to change people’s lives.
“What kind of future are we expecting if we are fighting because of gender?” posed Tataiso founder.
She urged us to build and help one another, emphasizing the need to create for and love one another.
‘Whole, healed and healing human beings
…do not hurt other human beings’
Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU – Meet the 20 young men who underwent intensive mentorship and grooming on issues ranging from leadership to male-focused developmental information.
Last, Saturday witnessed a graduation ceremony of the Tataiso Male Engagement Master class Series first cohort in a pomp and circumstance ceremony. The recruits were certificated following successful completion of the leadership programme.
The founder of this one-year-long capacity-building initiative who is also the National University of Lesotho (NUL) law lecturer Advocate Mothepa Ndumo said the drilling focuses on “productively, healthily and robustly engaging young tertiary students in Lesotho on issues impacting the male and female genders insofar as the former interacts with the latter in our society”.
Also, an Industrial Sociologist, accredited executive, and leadership coach, and Thomas International psychometrics practitioner, Advocate Ndumo said there was a gap where a boy child was seemingly neglected whereas there are many opportunities afforded to a girl child.
The 12-month Tataiso Male Engagement Mentorship Programme is arguably the Lesotho-first in terms of its unique male-led coaching and mentorship design.
Advocate Ndumo who also earned the nickname of ‘Mabashanyana loosely translated as (mother of boys) added: “Engaging males and seeing them as human beings who deserve and require personalised attention is a matter of national importance if we are to address the GBV [Gender Based Violence], femicide, social exclusion and inclusion statistics and deficits in Lesotho.”
Although the programme targets teenagers and men until the age of 35 years, the founder said there is a need to accommodate those older than this youthful age.
The keynote speaker Koenene Leanya made an analogy between plants and human life, he said while plants do not need nurturing to grow, crops, on the other hand, require care and attention to grow, he reminded the graduates that they did not choose their parents and homes.
He said despite not having the opportunity to choose where they were born, they have a responsibility to manoeuvre in the situations that life may put them in.
“We are not responsible before we were born”.
Leanya told them life is “tough” but said they should “show up, act up and man up”.
Some of the beneficiaries are enrolled with the NUL and while some are knocking on the doors of the labour market for economic opportunities, others she said are applying for postgraduate studies.
One of the inductees, Tanaka Magaya said during the training they were told to be themselves and be in other persons ‘shoes’.
“In a population of eight billion people, what Tataiso did to us, was to own our shoes. The presumption is we have about eight billion shoes, they told us to take our shoes,” he said.
Magaya said the programme taught them that they are “not perfect” but highlighted that; “if we own up and still stay in our shoes, we can all be masters in our different areas of speciality”.
The Tataiso graduate further said the training afforded them an “attitude”.
He said the one-year journey had not been a walk in the park but it eventually proved its salt in the long run.
“We started as a team, we are brothers now.”
Also addressing the graduates, NUL Vice-Chancellor Prof Olusola Fajana expressed encouragement over the Tataiso’s founder, a member of NUL staff for engaging the community through this programme which he said is in line with the institution’s strategic development plan.
The former Dj cum academic highlighted that there is an imbalance that has led to misalignment between a boy child and a girl child, a move he argued has had consequences for the stability of the country including stability and harmony at homes, communities, and workplaces.
“It is my considered opinion that programmes such as Tatatiso Male Engagement Master class Series, promotes socio empathy for demographic in our society, that has for several reasons known to all of us, generated social empathy for a very long time,” he said.
The former magazine editor, author, poet, podcast host and entrepreneur Kojo Baffoe went to town on “living in the now”.
The author dissuaded from worrying, saying that brings future energy into the present and deters them from enjoying the present moment.
Baffoe who did the first master class after Advocate Ndumo said discipline is not “denial”.
“We are all as human beings dealing with so many different conflicting experiences, emotions and avenues… and can become very overwhelming. I have the power of living the life I want to live, regardless of the resources I have because the power is in the choices I make.”
The podcast host said everyone has the power of choice and should face such consequences.
“Healthily and productively engaged males are a boon for the labour market and any other sphere of private and public life because such males, who now possess an expanded awareness or consciousness and move differently in the world are much less likely to sexually harass their female counterparts, targets mostly youth up to 356 years, Advocate Ndumo said there is a demand to accommodate males suppliers and clients of business and organisations in general.
“But Male Engagement is not just about reducing these statistics and instrumentalising men to achieve our aims as women. Men are not objects, [and] neither are women. We are divine entities with purposes, missions, destinies, dreams and talents and gifts. All human beings, therefore, need interventions that see and honour their divinity first and their gender second. Whole, healed and healing human beings do not hurt other human beings,” she stressed.
Finances enthusiast and author Tokiso Nthebe talked about the importance of relating well to money.
The Metropolitan’s Sales Manager Letsika Chefa, who is one of the sponsors, said in future they will sponsor the awards on contributions to their societies.
He said they are anticipating the stories that are going to change people’s lives.
“What kind of future are we expecting if we are fighting because of gender?” posed Tataiso founder.
She urged us to build and help one another, emphasizing the need to create for and love one another.