rise News

rise awarded a grant by US Embassy for Tool Library

July 29, 2022By 2 Comments

United States Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Erika Lewis with rise Construction Coordinator Thato Nkikana

American Corner, State Library Maseru – The handover ceremony of a Tool Library for rise funded by the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund of the US Embassy took place today 28 July, 2022. rise has been awarded a grant in the amount of $8,061 towards the establishment of a Tool Library for entrepreneurs in the Built Environment industry. As part of rise’s mission to build an active entrepreneurship ecosystem for Basotho youth, rise plans to provide tools that young aspiring entrepreneurs can work with and help their businesses grow. Towards that end, rise plans to set up a fully-equipped tool library for entrepreneurs to improve their carpentry, joinery, and welding skills, and also utilize them on construction projects.

United States Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Erika Lewis said “In addition to efforts to strengthen the business ecosystem in Lesotho through the recently signed Millennium Challenge Corporation compact and support for expanded exports from Lesotho to the

United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the United States is committed to working hand-in-hand with the private sector, civil society, and government to drive investment in innovation and creative solutions. This grassroots project, which will build skills and opportunity, is a perfect example of what we can accomplish together.” She further expressed that she is happy to know that rise has been working to help communities in Lesotho for 5 years and looks forward to future collaborations with rise.

Looking at the world today, we see a huge mismatch between the skills young people have and the skills employers need. Without opportunities to build the right skills, millions of youth will struggle to find jobs and risk being left behind. Through the in loco program, rise helps these young Basotho to start their own businesses and become “job creators” instead of “job seekers”, thereby creating opportunities for themselves and their communities. For this to happen, these young people need resources to start.

Nkopane Sehapi, The Manager of Partial Credit Guarantee Fund (PCGF) in his speech expressed: “I would like to thank rise International for keeping their promise of assuring the position of humility, commitment, dedication, and determination to uphold and defend the interests of current and future Basotho entrepreneurs.

It has been a very crucial year for entrepreneurs to come back in full operations since the Covid19 pandemic – let alone the crop of start-ups to make breakthroughs in business. PCGF and the Ministry of Small Business, Cooperatives, and Marketing in collaboration with rise will soon launch a one of its kind model to assist graduates, businesses, and informal businesses countrywide.” 

The primary beneficiaries of this tool library are young Basotho entrepreneurs aged between 18 to 35 who are in the process of setting up their own businesses in the built environment. They are a mixture of carpenters, electrical and structural engineers, construction workers, plumbers as well as other artisans and craft workers. Some will have been through rise’s in loco fellowship program and others will be upcoming entrepreneurs wanting to set up their own businesses in the built environment in order to earn a living. The secondary beneficiaries will be vulnerable communities with whom rise partners and through the in loco fellowship designs and builds much-needed infrastructure to improve the quality of lives by solving a social need.

“It is a pleasure to have been a recipient of the US Embassy Self Help Grant which has enabled us to buy 69 tools in 3 different categories; power tools; bricklaying; and carpentry tools. Through this tool library we are able to help all the pioneers who have graduated from our in loco program, as well as other

Basotho youth who have businesses in the built environment, to excel and reach their fullest potential. Our overall vision as rise is to see job seekers become job creators. The Lesotho we want is in the hands of the youth.” – Reitumetse Nthako, rise Country Director.

Pictures captured by Reitumetse Raphanyane

Watch the full event here

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Young Female Mosotho Architect wins National Student Architecture Award in South Africa

July 26, 2022By 0 comment

Mpho Sephelane, a young Mosotho Architect is the winner of the 35th Corobrik Student Architecture Awards, walking away with a R70 000 cash prize. These awards are said to have been inducted in 1986 and are the only competition of its kind dedicated to Masters Architectural students in South Africa (Corobik (Pty) Ltd, 2022).

This year 8 major South African universities selected their best Masters Architectural student, who presented their thesis to a panel of judges who were professionals from the South African Architecture Industry. 

Mpho was selected by the University of Cape Town, School of Architecture to present her thesis which was titled ‘Re[covering] Place: African ways of seeing, thinking and making as a call to rethink and remake places in cities’.

She brought a piece of her heritage by describing the use of the Basotho blanket as a transformative and imaginative symbol of identity and relevance. It is true that knowing where we come from and holding onto our culture and heritage is our unique compass. 

Talk about breaking boundaries! When asked how she felt about winning the award, she stated “I am still ecstatic and honored to have received such a prestigious award. It has proven to be the validation that I and other students like myself needed to drive us forward in owning our narratives in architecture. I am also extremely thankful for the overwhelming support I received during my studies and now, it is truly humbling.” She further expressed that if given the chance to speak to her 21-year-old self this is what she would tell her “Just start; you will be unsure, you won’t always get it right and you will be misunderstood, but do it anyway. Lastly, I’d tell 21-year-old Mpho to never stop learning and to celebrate her wins, no matter how small.”

Mpho reiterates that the opportunity afforded to her has validated a lot of what her fellow students, especially people who connect with their culture, have been struggling with – the issue of translating who they are and what their culture entails and the values they bring to their everyday lives and professions.

“The journey is really a beginning for me as I am excited to continue to collaborate and learn from other cultures about such ideas of translation and preservation.” – Mpho


Congratulations to Mpho Sephelane. Thank you for being an inspiration to younger generations of Basotho Architects – rise

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Lesotho exhibits at Triennale Milan, Italy for the first time

July 18, 2022By 0 comment

More exposure internationally for the Mountain Kingdom as Lesotho is awarded a pavilion at the prestigious Triennale Museum in Milan, Italy, one of the world’s leading cultural institutions. This year Triennale Milano takes up and continues the important reflections that emerged from the last edition; Broken Nature, ensuring critical continuity with its proactive approach. The exhibition is conceived as a space for open, wide-ranging debates and exchanges of views, where different experiences, cultures, and perspectives can converge. The title of this 23rd International Exhibition is “Unknown Unknowns”, it offers itself to visitors as a rediscovery of mysteries.

Did you know that we only know a paltry 5% of the universe? Lesotho, a landlocked country in South Africa, is part of that 95% of the world still unknown to many. The research for the pavilion was conducted by Giada Zuan, on behalf of rise and the Milan-based architecture AOUMM, under the leadership of Luca Astorri, rise‘s lead architect and co-Founder of AUOMM. The research found that the Kingdom of the Sky through water forms an essential element of the country’s identity. “Lesotho Water Realms: a visual research on geopolitics, society, and rituals” offers the visitors three-dimensional scales between landscape, human proximity, and spirituality, through an assemblage of visual fragments.

The Lesotho Pavillion was visited by His Excellency Ambassador of Lesotho in Italy Thesele John Maseribane along with the Founder of rise, CEO of AOUMM, and Lead Researcher Giada Zuan (Pictured). 

Watch this short clip of the pavilion

Credits:

Lead researcher: Giada Zuan

Curators: Luca Astorri and Matteo Poli, , AOUMM, Daniela Gusman, rise

Team: Retsepile Rammoko, Valentina Riverso, Pedro Clarke; A+ Architecture , James Melson, 

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 Everyday is World Youth Skills day at rise

July 15, 2022By 0 comment

Everyday is World Youth Skills day at rise

The United Nations declared July 15th World Youth Skills Day to be the day we all celebrate the importance of youth training and skills development. This day is dedicated to providing young people with opportunities to improve their skills by participating in programs designed to develop their entrepreneurial and work skills.

Skills development is at the core of our work at rise which is why the in loco fellowship program was created and launched 5 years ago. It is a “learning-by-doing” program where local graduates from the Design, Architecture, and Built Environment fields are awarded practical hands-on work experience while equipped with the skills to set up and run successful enterprises. We have had 3 successful cohorts since 2018 and are proud that 93% of our in loco fellows who graduate, called Pioneers, are now in self or full-time employment. 

We are thrilled to announce that this year, we are piloting new ways of achieving our mission of youth skills development by partnering with Lesotho’s Ministry of Finance and their apprenticeship program for unemployed youth from which we are selecting the fellows. 

Furthermore, we will be building a primary school kitchen using sandbag technology – they are fire-resistant, have good thermal efficiency qualities, and will lead to a possible affordable housing solution. 

Developing the skills of the youth is at the heart of rise, every day is World Youth Skills day with us. Join our community of supporters and Subscribe to be a donor here.

Photo by Rets’epile Rammoko

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Lesotho wins support from Irish Government for Climate Change action

July 5, 2022By 0 comment

Ireland’s Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, T.D., announced on July 1st, the Irish Aid funding to strengthen the ability of developing countries to predict and prepare for extreme weather events. It is facilitated in partnership with Met Éireann, to enable the work of the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), established by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN. The Facility is meant to work with developing countries, providing funding and technical expertise to help them to address weather and climate information gaps.

Minister Brophy in his announcement stated that: “We are living through a time when climate change impacts are already devastating peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Initiatives such as the SOFF are crucial to building the capability of developing countries to predict and tackle extreme weather events such as those we are witnessing today. I am pleased to announce Irish support for this innovative programme, which builds on our strong track record in supporting climate adaptation in the most vulnerable countries” 

rise International in partnership with Irish charity,  Action Ireland Trust, were awarded funding towards their proposed project along with only 3 other grantees. The research project, which will be driven jointly by Action Ireland Trust and rise will examine how Lesotho can move away from imported building materials that have high carbon levels towards local, indigenous construction materials, thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint of Lesotho. The project seeks to address Lesotho’s gaps in the research of sustainable locally sourced construction materials, enabling the construction industry’s transition to becoming more environmentally responsible, by replacing imported environmentally harmful construction materials with locally-made and recycled green products. The project will also examine how to build upon local capacity and to develop entrepreneurial skills in Lesotho, in addition to exploring how building regulations and standards in Lesotho can be enhanced. Additionally, this project aims to support policy makers in reviewing and revising outdated construction regulations and standards, regarding the use of sustainable material and construction techniques for energy efficiency in buildings.

Daniela Gusman, Founder of rise stated: “We are so thrilled with this news, as thanks to this funding from Irish Aid and our partnership with Action Ireland Trust, we are able to research indigenous building techniques and materials, as well as grow local entrepreneurship skills in Basotho traditional building techniques, so as to build Lesotho’s local economy. As well as the economic advantages, this project will also help combat climate change; not just in terms of the usage of more environmentally friendly building materials that have a lower carbon footprint, but also in terms of the construction of buildings that are more thermally efficient. This is especially important in a mountainous country like Lesotho, where the climate is extreme, with bitterly cold winters that get as cold as -15°C and hot Summers when temperatures hover around 28°C.”
Fran Whelan, CEO, Action Ireland Trust said: “We are absolutely delighted to be selected as one of four grant winners by Irish Aid under the ‘Enterprise Fund for International Climate Action’. The project we are planning in Lesotho will create great opportunities in the development of more sustainable construction methods and materials. This research will be very beneficial to not only Lesotho, but also for other countries in Africa. It is a great honor to be the recipient of this grant at a time for urgent change and action around climate change and we look forward to continuing our work with Irish Aid and  rise International”.

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