INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF EDUCATIVE COMMUNITIES

Name of Organization: Bahlabani Initiative (Bahlabani means warriors)

Chairperson:  Dr Itumeleng Kimane

 

Mission of the organization

To promote a culture in which the holistic child care and development is valued and the human

rights of young people are promoted, protected, respected and enshrined in the national social, economic,

political, and cultural agenda.

 

Who we are

Bahlabani Initiative (BI) is a Lesotho-based no-profit making organization that is neutral with regard to politics and religion. Its founders and members consist of individuals from diverse educational and professional backgrounds.

 

What we do

BI has set itself a broad mandate of promoting and protecting the human rights of young people (children and youth) as enshrined in key international instruments particularly, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) as well as to ensure that relevant domestic policies and laws are compliant with these instruments.  BI envisions a Basotho society where all young people living in Lesotho (especially those who are vulnerable) no longer suffer from deprivation, neediness, abuse or exploitation; and where government, business sector and civil society, families and communities work collaboratively to find innovative solutions for enhancing and improving young people’s well-being as well as the quality of their lives. This way, the Organization seeks to contribute to the development of a new generation of productive and responsible citizens that is fully aware of its human rights and responsibilities and will be able to get Lesotho out of the political and economic stalemate it is currently embroiled in.

 

In line with its mission, BI seeks to promote the development of a culture and environment which enhances respect, support, defense, promotion and protection of the human rights of children and youth as well as to ensure that those rights are at all times prioritized in the country’s political and development agenda. In BI’s view, the human rights of young people cover a broad spectrum of issues that are, however, intrinsically linked. Hence, for these rights to become a reality in the lives of young people, they need to be tackled in a comprehensive manner through use of collaborative multi-sectoral strategies, rights-oriented as well as systems and result-based approaches.

 

BI realizes that its mandate is very broad. For this reason, in all its endeavours, it stands committed to working in partnership with other like-minded entities, both domestically and world-wide, to turn the principles of the best interests, non-discrimination, survival and development, participation and evolving capacities of the young people that are enshrined in global and regional human rights instruments as well as in national policies and legislative frameworks into a reality. The Organization further realizes that to achieve on its mandate, there is need for three key things: (1) a vibrant children’s sector; (2) a robust child and youth care workforce; as well as (3) a strong child rights movement. All of which, in the conviction of BI have hitherto been lacking in this country. BI is therefore striving to work with other organizations both internally and externally in the attempt to build collaborative networks, partnerships and linkages conducive for growing a strengthened and professionalized child and youth care workforce that will guarantee the attainment of security, healthy development and improved standards of living for children and youth.

 

BI members have recently been involved in:

• Participating in FICE-Africa teleconferences from 2015.

• Collaborating closely with the National Association of Child Workers (NACCW), South Africa and attended their 40th Anniversary Celebrations and Biennial Conference in Cape Town and joined the FICE-Africa face-to-face meeting for the first time, July 2015.

• Attending FICE International Congress in Vienna, Austria, 2016 and got Lesotho Associate Membership status.

• Providing technical assistance for the development of a Strategic Plan for Letsema Network, an umbrella body for Lesotho civil society organizations and community-based organizations working with children.

• Training for Sentebale-affiliated residential care facilities

• A consultancy of editing the Country’s Report on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child completed 2016.

• Providing technical support to the Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sports and Recreation in developing Standard Guidelines and Operational Procedures for Youth Resource Centres.

• Holding advocacy and awareness creation campaigns to mobilize individuals working with and for the care and development of children in a bid to establish a professional Lesotho Association of Child and Youth Care Workers (LACCW), October 2016 to present.

• Drafting of the LACCW Constitution (quite advanced).

• Providing leadership to the Justice for Children (J4C) UNICEF-supported Programme working different Ministries such Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, Ministry of Police as well as relevant NGOs.

• Facilitating a workshop on referral mechanisms and standard operational procedures for the J4C Programme.

• Organizing and facilitating the National Children’s Shadow Parliament together with Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, Ministry of Social Development and UNICEF and World Vision Lesotho, 13 to 27 January 2017.

• Organizing an educational trip to a Toy Library Association of South Africa (TLASA) capacity building seminar for a group of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) managers in collaboration with Cotlands, a South African non-profit early childhood development organization addressing the education and social crisis by establishing early learning playgroups and toy libraries in under-resourced communities and A-Chance-to-Play Southern Africa (ACTPSA) scheduled for 29 March 2017.​
  
   

Committee Members:

 

Chairperson:                           Itumeleng Kimane

Deputy Chairperson:             Malineo Mots’ephe

Secretary:                                Phomolo Mosaase

Duty Secretary:                      Lebohang Mabathoane

Treasurer:                               Tankiso Phori

PRO:                                        Mpepuoa Mohale

Members:                   Makhala Khoeli

                                     Limakatso Lehobo

                                     Thabo Mokotso

                                     Sekhoane Rapeane

 

 

Contact Details:

1. Name: Mpepuoa Mohale

    Position: Public Relations Officer

    Phone: +266 59137638

    e-mail address: mpepuoamohale@ymail.com

   Postal Address: Bahlabani Initiative. C/O P.O. Box 102. Roma 180. Lesotho

 

2. Name: Dr Itumeleng Kimane

   Position: Chairperson

   Phone: +266 58864685

   e-mail address: ikimane08@yahoo.com

 

3. Name: Tankiso Phori

    Position: Treasurer

    Phone:  +266 5026 5034 / +266 62072775

    email address: tsphori@gmail.com

 

   BI Website: (under construction)