Faith, Resilience, and a Bountiful Harvest: The Story of ‘Mathato’s Triumph in Ha Senkoase
By: Reentseng Phephetho, Communications and Digital Officer, Lesotho
In the far-flung, hard-to-reach corners of Mokhotlong district lies the village of Ha Senkoase—a place where the effects of climate change are deeply etched into the lives of its people. For years, the village has faced the wrath of the weather: not gentle or no rains at all, but at times devastating hailstorms that shatter crops and leave households with nothing to eat. Among the resilient few in this community is a woman whose strength and faith have changed the course of her family’s destiny.
Her name is ‘Mathato. A 40-year-old mother of two, ‘Mathato has been raising her children alone since 2016, when her husband left for Natal, South Africa, in search of work. “He promised he was going to work for us,” she said, “but to this day, he never came back.” Left with no formal employment and two young children to care for, ‘Mathato’s journey has been very difficult.
She did what she could to survive— “I would do some piece job helping one of the tailors in the community with ironing and cutting threads when she had workload,” she shared. “But that could not help me meet even half of my children’s needs.” Despite her love for crop production, she lacked the necessary skills, and the hostile climate made it nearly impossible to yield anything meaningful from her small garden. Her efforts, though brave, bore no fruit.
Her eldest daughter, 14-year-old Ithabeleng, watched this struggle with a heavy heart. “My heart was always broken to see my mother trying to make a living for us alone,” she recalled. “Since my father left us almost nine years ago, life has really been difficult. I did not see how I’d make it to Grade 8.” Though primary education is free in Lesotho, many other school-related expenses were beyond reach, and the thought of going to a high school seemed like an impossible dream.
Then, in the middle of this despair, hope arrived through the Faith Partnerships on Environmental Stewardship and Climate Action (ECSA) Project, an initiative by World Vision. The project aims to empower Faith Actors and local communities to build resilience and adapt to the changing climate. In Ha Senkoase, that faith actor was Pastor Tjabulane, whose leadership has been nothing short of transformative.
With World Vision’s support, Pastor Tjabulane led training sessions on climate-smart agriculture, demonstrating keyhole gardens right at ‘Mathato’s home. The training wasn’t just theoretical seeds were distributed, techniques were practiced, and a vision for a new life was planted in the hearts of those present. For ‘Mathato, it was the spark she had been waiting for.
Determined to rise from poverty, she didn’t stop at one keyhole garden. She built two more and converted her backyard into a thriving space for vegetable farming. That December, her efforts bore fruit—literally. “My first harvest cycle was in December 2024,” she said proudly. “It was really good. Throughout the Christmas holidays, I sold vegetables (spinach and rape) to neighbouring communities and bought my children food and Christmas clothes.” For the first time in years, the family celebrated not just Christmas—but a breakthrough.
Driven by her success, ‘Mathato expanded her crop selection to include tomatoes and mustard. She began selling to a nearby high school, and the impact was tangible. “Between January and March, I made R2,000.00 from selling vegetables, and over R500.00 from tomatoes. I am certain I am yet to make more money because I am yet to harvest more,” she shared with joy. But beyond the money, the most beautiful yield has been the transformation in her daughter’s life.
“I am really grateful for this intervention,” Ithabeleng said. “Now I attend school without worrying where my mother will take money to pay for my school fees. I also feel equal to other children at school, unlike before when I felt less.” Inspired by her mother’s resilience, Ithabeleng has taken an active role in the garden—collecting manure, irrigating the crops, and tending to them with care. She sees a future in agriculture. “I saw life in it,” she said with a quiet conviction.
Pastor Tjabulane, the faith leader at the heart of this change, remains hopeful. “It is really motivating to see people like ‘Mathato taking action and putting even more effort to practice climate-smart agriculture,” he said. “With people like her, we will be a better community that faces no poverty issues. I will never rest as long as families are still vulnerable and less resilient.”
And perhaps the most inspiring part of this story is that the seeds sown are not only bearing vegetables—they are bearing dreams. Ithabeleng, once worried about school fees, now dreams of owning a farm. A child once shadowed by hardship is now blossoming with purpose. As for ‘Mathato, she continues to look ahead with hope. She has plans to expand her production even further because she has seen, with her own hands, that even amidst climate challenges, “there is life in crop production when it is done with the right skills and passion.”Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, faith, and community. From despair to harvest, ‘Mathato’s journey is not just about food on the table—it is about dignity restored, dreams reborn, and a future reimagined.