Fellows' blogs

Salome Mokhali Blog post Exiting my internship is not an end, it is a testament of learning from the best, and now, it is time to redefine what ‘best’ means in my own journey. I, Salome Mokhali, a 26-year-old Public Relations student from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, embarked on an exciting journey, eager to…

My name is Sello Mohami, but most people know me as Macala. I am a 22-year-old Mosotho man and a certified Construction Management technician having graduated from Lerotholi Polytechnic in 2022. I was born and raised in Maseru central Ts’enola-Motimposo where I got interested in this field of construction due to the lack of roads…

My name is Moipone Sekola, a 23-year-old Civil Engineering graduate. I graduated from Lerotholi Polytechnic in 2021. My life’s mantra is ‘If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it’ – Michael Jordan. Since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to be a woman in construction. I believe this inspiration…

“You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself, the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery, the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others,” – Leonardo da Vinci. My name is Thato Nkikana, born…

My name is ‘Mathebe Rampielo, AKA “Pepper”, “Thibi turner” or “Pepper at de ground”. I am a young charismatic and kind hearted Mosotho girl at the age of 24. I am a graduate from Lerotholi Polytechnic tertiary institution and I have an academic qualification in Carpentry and Joinery. I am currently a fellow in rise…

I remember my eleven-year-old self coming across a drawing which I later learned was a floor plan. I began to wonder how a simple drawing like the one I had seen became a house. I was quiet curious and really loved to read a lot as a child. I then learned that for every structure…

I am Mpokho Kherehloa, a proud member of the in loco fellowship cohort of 2020 with rise international. I am a 24 year old Mosotho woman and my life is based on challenging the status quo in the Lesotho construction industry. I hold a diploma in Construction Management from Lerotholi Polytechnic. Not only do I…

My name is Ramarou Tsoho, a 30 year old Mosotho man. I was born and raised in the highlands of Lesotho “Raleqheka”. I am privileged to be part of the 2020 cohort of the in loco fellowship at rise international. I hold a Diploma in Civil Engineering from Lerotholi Polytechnic. I have chosen this programme…

My name is Poloko Phalinyane. I am a twenty seven year old Mosotho man born in Rothe, in the outskirts of Maseru. I studied Electrical Installation at the renowned institution of Lerotholi Polytechnic. I enrolled in 2015 and completed in 2018. I am part of the in loco fellowship of 2020 with rise international. What…

My name is Paki T’sotleho, I am a 29 year old man with a heart of a kid, a mind of an old soul and the body of a giant. I am part of the 2020 cohort of the in loco fellowship and a contributor to the vision set by rise international. I hold a…

Intergalactic means movement between spaces. Buildings occupy space, from their foundations upwards. Therefore in this blog, intergalactic is compared to construction because of the fuming passion I have for the built environment and intergalactic. My passion for the built environment grew after several setbacks from the University of Free State, where I was enrolled in…

My name is Mosa Nkhabutlane, “kengoananaoamosotho”, (I am a Mosotho girl) who was born & bred in Lesotho. I studied Interior Architecture from the University of Pretoria and I am currently an in loco fellow at rise international. I applied for this program because I wanted to equip myself with an entrepreneurial career in the…

Motebang Ramafole

YOU CAN DREAM, CREATE, DESIGN AND BUILD THE MOST WONDERFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD, BUT IT REQUIRES PEOPLE TO MAKE THE DREAM A REALITY – blog by Bokang TJakotja, in loco fellow 2019 cohort He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsmen.…

Everything we build ends up building us too, I feel that me being part of a social responsibility project to design and build an income generating facility centre for the youth of IDAL- Intellectual Disability and Autism Lesotho is showing love to others and a great platform for me to learn as a young Architect.…

Selebalo climbing up the entrpreneurial laddar through the in loco program

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to know the second law of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. Drawing my inspiration from a strong…

My name is Ntina (Peter) Makhetha. I am a 2017 Construction Management graduate. I first knew about rise’s in loco fellowship program in mid-2018 from one of my ex-tertiary colleagues who was one of the fellows in the first pilot program. Immediately after graduating we were all over the place looking for jobs. By the…

Watch and discover first hand about the in loco experience directly from Retsepile Rammoko, one of our 2019 fellows, who has produced this video himself. He is a digital media content creator, so enjoy his work! Click HERE for the video

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…

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…

‘’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…

Being a fellow changed the way I perceived myself and the world around me. After a car accident I experienced in 2015, which made me lose my memory, I never thought I would ever be myself again. I am that nice lady, an extrovert nurturer who always wears a smile on her face, creates a…

In this day and age in our country of Lesotho in order to succeed in any profession you’ve got to have connections and experience, a college diploma/degree alone does not guarantee success. I got introduced to rise back in 2017 when one of my lecturers at my former school insisted that I should attend a…

Read the experience of a visiting architect from Italy to Lesotho

Read the 2nd in the in loco blog series 2019 where you get an insight into the thoughts and feelings of our fellows. This blog is by Nkhole Thakhisi fondly known as Kole.

This time last year it was just an idea. Today, that experience inspired an ambition and a change in my career. Was it already…? This time, a year ago? I still remember various thoughts popping up during my last day in Lesotho; “Why am I going back? Can’t I stay for longer? How can I…

Read our first in loco fellows’ blog about being a female fellow in a male dominated sector

One way to understand how the real world operates after completing tertiary level, is not only through other people’s preconceived ideas and notions, but also by actually being with them and learning the skills and knowledge from those who went before you. It was October 2017 after perusing through rise brochure about the construction of…

Towards the end of August 2017, that is when I heard about in loco. I didn’t even have to think twice about applying for it but there was a challenge for me, one of the main requirements was that the participants should have “construction related” experience. I almost gave up but the fact that the…

Here is some fascinating reading from Dr Sean Maliehe (PhD), a postdoctoral research fellow in the Human Economy Programme, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria. Dr Maliehe works on the economic history of Lesotho and on the development of mobile money in southern Africa (Lesotho and South Africa). He gave a fascinating lecture…

August 2017: I had just received a call from the Head of Programs from my former beloved school Lerotholi Polytechnic asking me to apply for some fellowship called In loco. I wasn’t interested until the Dean of the School of the Built Environment called, encouraging me to apply. I remember browsing on my small phone…

Before I joined the fellowship, I had a secret fear that I’m not fit enough to be a professional architect and building contractor. For that reason, I had a tendency to be reluctant about sharing my designs on social media and not to take construction projects that came my way. Even when other people praised…

Preparing for a possible bad 10-day experience…. I had to make a presentation on Lesotho and rise International for my protective parents in order to get the permission to join the workshop. I pulled images from Google and screenshot traveling tips from various embassy websites. Surprisingly, it was easier to convince my parents than myself.…

“You must be the change you want to see in the world,” Gandhi once said. As a graduate you think that you could never make a difference in the world, but you can. It all starts with your thoughts. They soon become words, which become your actions, which become your habits, which become your character,…

Adventure and Passion; the two words that come to mind when Mamanti Phothane Makara is mentioned (by the way that is my name). They tell me I am “generally” friendly and I have a charismatic smile and I believe them 🙂 I am very passionate about architectural design and interior life in general, but when…

May 5 was my birthday and I was turning 28. I always thought by now I would have all the money I could ever want, a house in the country with horses, a tall, dark and handsome husband and kids and I would call that success. But on my 28th this is what I have…

Visit from Architecture students from Limkokwing University to our live project in Lesotho Watch the video from the visit here.

Digging foundations for Residential Centre & Entrepreneurship Hub for adolescents who will move here from the overcrowded GLC centre for orphans and vulnerable children. Watch the video here

Three months as a Fellow… I am Madane Bataung, a graduate in civil engineering from Lerotholi Polytechnic in Lesotho. I am also the founder of @Nebulart Recycling Group. I am that nice guy who leaves his car unlocked to offer a safe haven for someone in case they encounter a polar bear! Old music and…

MY TWO MONTHS EXPERIENCE AS A FELLOW I have been staring at my pc for some time now, cracking my head on how to go about the task given to me or should I say that I volunteered to do. My name is Thandi Mokoma, an Alumni of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Lesotho.…

New piece of land acquired Our community partner, God’s Love Centre (GLC) is overcrowded with 50+ children living in a 2 dorm-room house. Since the land on which the orphanage is located is quite small, we acquired an additional piece of land just 1 km up the road from the existing site. There are 200,000…

  My name is Palesa Rapolo and I’m a 2017 graduate from Limkokwing University having graduated in Interior Architecture. I just completed my first month as a fellow in the eight-month in loco program by rise. My first month into the program has been inspirational, educational and fun. The atmosphere in the office is incredible,…

Twenty of Lesotho’s most promising young entrepreneurs have been selected to join an 8-month design & build fellowship program which will run from February to September 2018. The fellows consist of 14 male & 6 female graduates and diploma holders from cross-disciplinary areas including architecture, civil & electrical engineering, construction management, interior design, carpentry, social…

An intense 10 days of learning about human centred design and then putting those learnings into practice by going into the community and finding out their exact challenges, needs and wishes for a better quality of life at the orphanage. The in loco lead Architects, Pedro Clarke and Luca Astorri visited Lesotho from Portugal and…