November 2019 – rise International

in loco fellows blog series #7: Never lose hope, Give it a try

November 27, 2019By RISE INT0 comment

Some time after I completed my diploma in construction management in search for job opportunities, valuable skills and experience in the design and build industry, i come across one of my ex-classmates who introduced me to the impact of the in loco fellowship program. I never let the opportunity pass me by, I applied for the fellowship and was called for an interview. Guess what, today I am enrolled amongst the in loco fellows at rise International (Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise).

We are currently working on the project of IDAL (Intellectual Disability & Autism Lesotho) Centre. The first thing we did for the project was to conduct a Participatory Design Workshop, the aim being to understand the clients and their needs and thereof come up with solutions to their problems with the in loco materials and talent.

The first week of the program I had to work on the tendering process where i did the costing of the project by preparing the bill of Quantities. It was an enjoyable time for me to enhance the skills and knowledge I had prior to school by using the necessary tools introduced to us by the rise team which were the bills of quantities templates, schedule of works and the rise database. Such tools are necessary in managing time, cost and effort.

Two weeks later it was my time to get to experience the role of being the site manager. Very challenging moments to execute the project, giving tasks to the other fellows and the application of the managerial skills and knowledge I got at school, conducting site meetings, preparing site reports, schedule of works and many others.

The fellowship has changed me from being a job seeker to an entrepreneur through the business sessions we are getting, fire is burning inside me to bring tremendous changes into people’s lives. I gained a lot of both soft and technical skills in the managerial system by collaborating with the fellows and the rise team who I regard are my mentors.

film screenings

Architecture for the people by the people

November 22, 2019By RISE INT0 comment

in loco program

in loco fellows blog series #6: When opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to go after it

November 13, 2019By RISE INT0 comment

It’s a friday afternoon and my tertiary ex-classmate whom I hadn’t spoken to in a while drops me a WhatsApp text. To my surprise, the text is an invitation to the in loco fellowship which at the time, I had not heard of. This was my cue to do a little research. I searched it on Facebook and guess what? I got so excited about the fellowship and wished I had known about it earlier and applied. Before I knew it, I was called for an interview and here I am today, an in loco fellow at rise International.

From my research, I saw the fellowship as an integral part of my long-term career or academic life goal. I saw it as an ideal way of taking my civil engineering expertise from one level to the next. However, the greatest reason I wanted to pursue the fellowship was my desire to change my current path towards something I’m passionate about- Entrepreneurship.

Few weeks into the fellowship at the participatory design workshop, I’m all excited, learning but eager to go on site. And now we are on site as three girls from thirteen fellows. How challenging!

Through the fellowship I have learnt to work with different personalities, although it hasn’t been easy. But now that we know each other, I know how to handle each of them.

Amo in the back with other two fellows – Lits’oanelo (left) and Peter (right)

By nature, I am an introvert and having to work with other fellows was a bit challenging at the beginning. I struggled to express myself but as I get to know them, I’m opening up a bit and I love how they have changed my perspective on a lot of things and on life in general.

One of the most beautiful things about this cohort is that we motivate each other but with a dash of humour attached. I remember this other time when I forgot where a file in the Google Drive was located, and they said, ‘Really Amo?! A month into the fellowship and you still don’t know where the file is?’ From that moment onwards, I made sure I knew where every file is saved and paid attention to even the smallest details. Funny thing is, they also couldn’t remember where the file was!

Three months into the fellowship and I have acquired soft and technical skills I never thought I would have. I have acquired communication and negotiation skills and carpentry to name a few. I now know a bit more about construction from foundations up to the roof and I’m excited about my experience.

in loco program

in loco FELLOWS BLOG SERIES #5: Living the dream

November 8, 2019By RISE INT1 Comment

‘’My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we-architects can affect the quality of life of the people.’’ Richard Rogers

As an architectural graduate, I first got introduced to rise way back in 2015, at Limkokwing University when rise held their first lecture at my university. From that day, my admiration for architecture and perception about the built environment specifically with building with local materials was activated. I realized that I knew less about various methods of construction that existed in other African countries. From that day, I started following rise’s lectures, after seeing their impact and the drive about helping out less developed countries with resources they have.

Sello overseeing the installation of one of the wing frames

Fast forward, my senior architecture students got enrolled into the in loco program, where they worked on GLC*(God’s Love Centre Orphanage) in 2018 in Sekamaneng. This in loco program was ‘a learn by doing;.’ program, where graduates are equipped with all necessary skills (construction skills) before being introduced to the industry. I was very inspired and hoped they’ll recruit other graduates after the first cohort. It was a dream come true when I realized they were recruiting again this year (2019). I didn’t hesitate, I applied with the hope of being admitted, and my prayers were answered, I was accepted into the fellowship.

The project we are working on as the second cohort of fellows is the IDAL (Intellectual Disability & Autism Lesotho) Center, where we designed and are currently building a pavilion, a timber-made structure, which is so intriguing to work with, because it’s one of the rare methods of construction in the country for big projects like this.

As an architecture graduate, I have learned more than I had anticipated about construction and by actually not just designing and handing over a project to be constructed by a construction professional, but also getting my hands dirty. I also learned concrete mixing, to using a concrete mixing machine, timber construction and tools, detailing, business and entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills.

At first I was appointed to be a buyer or procurement officer, which entails a lot of paper work and buying construction materials and equipment in this context. This was a challenging role, but I got used to it as time went on. Currently I’m working as a site architect, which entails, reporting progress on site, faults, daily tasks and weekly reports.

Lastly, I’d like to thank rise for recruiting us into the fellowship, it has been really amazing and a very valuable experience of reaching out to the communities and empowering youth as fresh graduates before being introduced to the industry to pursue our dreams. And our slogan is, if you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.