National Financial Coordinator SOS Children's Villages in Lesotho
Getting fundraising underway in Lesotho
To keep the organisation alive from the financial point of view, there are many aspects to consider. Prominent among them all is the aspect of fundraising. So it happened that I once came up with an idea about how all co-workers can have fun together. Following this initiative, we organised what was called “fun walk”. It was an hour’s walk from the village to the next destination. Every co-worker made sure to participate. To make it successful, we contributed a little money to have lunch together afterwards.
The reaction to the success from all colleagues was so great that we planned to do it again the next year and that time linking it to the core issue: fundraising. No sooner did we announce this than the management picked up the idea. For the implementation, we requested that all stakeholders should be involved to get sponsors for caps, T-shirts, water etc. With this, we eyed raising some money for the association. I was so happy at the end of the day that also the patron of the SOS Children’s Village participated and that we were able to realize a reasonable amount for the village. It proved to be another way of bringing people together e.g. staff, community, sponsors. By gatherings like this, we are able to talk to people about “WHO WE ARE”.
Little did I know that from this engagement, the organisation recognized my potential in leading activities and people! From then on, I was first chosen as a fundraising entertainment committee member and later made the fundraising leader at the village level. Currently, I am a fundraising member at the national level and we are doing very well. In 2013 we raised more than what was assigned us on the strategic plan.
How did all these come about? The key of our success is that we made sure that all co-workers were involved. And how did we involve everyone? We organised what we called a “talk show”. It was something like a debate whereby we had a topic with two groups debating on it. The aim was to gain more ideas and more tips on how more and more people can take part in the fundraising activities. Great ideas which have been discussed on the debate “talk show” are now in our annual fundraising plan from the village level to the national level. They are:
- Back to school – Children’s Village level
- Back to 60/80 – Children’s Village level
- Gala dinner – National level
- Beauty pageant - Children’s Village level
- Mock marriage – Children’s Village level
- Fun walk – Both Children’s Village level & National level
- Golf day – National Level (Leerzeichen Fehler immer nach dem Bindestrich)
Today I am very proud of myself when I see what I have suggested is flourishing in SOS Children’s Villages Lesotho. It is an act of recognition of creativity and it motivates me highly. It strengthens my commitment and passion towards my work at SOS Children’s Villages. Generally it generates a strong courage in me that I envision SOS Lesotho to be among the countries which also generates funds locally in the near future.
Mahlompho Jane Mashupa Mapalane
is the Financial Coordinator at the National Office in the Kingdom of Lesotho. She joined SOS CV in August 1996 as a secretary at the Hermann Gmeiner Primary School.
​Coming back to work in 2006 after further studies enabled her by SOS CV, she was assigned the position of Village Financial Administrator at village level. By 2009 she was leading the fundraising committee at village level. From October 2012 to date she is the National Financial Coordinator and still continues working in the fundraising committee at the national level also.
Her family: She lives with her husband and two children in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. She has a twin sister. Mahlompho Jane’s daughter is studying at the National University of Lesotho and her son is doing his Form E, the last high school level.
Her role in society is initiating development. For instance, she is part of a group of women and men who together contribute and save a fraction of their small earnings. Out of these contributions, they assist one another with micro-credits at a very low interest rate. At the end of the year, they gather together and share their earnings amongst themsleves. This measure really does help families out in times of need. It furthers individual family development. She has also helped and will continue helping her constituency to get funds for persons with HIV/AIDS to start small projects for their living. Her desire is to see people living with a smile.
She likes traveling and making friends with people from all over. To have been chosen to come to Innsbruck for Harvesting 2014 is a great source of joy for her.