By Ments’ele Mohloboli
With the support of the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC), Lesotho Red Cross Society in collaboration with Quthing and Maseru District Administration (DA) and District Disaster Management Team (DDMT) held a three days lessons learned workshop at Quthing from Tuesday the 11th to Thursday the 13th June 2024.
The purpose of this workshop was to;
- Capture lessons learned; systematically document the positive and negative aspects of the project including what went well and what did not, to identify best practices and areas of improvement.
- Enhance team performance; foster a continuous learning process within the team, promote a culture of improvement and encourage team members to reflect on their experiences and share their knowledge.
- Identify areas for change; identify areas where the processes and procedure can be improved and develop strategies for implementing these changes to enhance overall performance.
Mr. Likano Moleleko on behalf of Quthing District Administrator welcomed everyone to the workshop and wished a productive three days ahead, he further showed his over flowing joy to the LRCS for its constant support when it comes to helping vulnerable communities affected by disasters.
In his welcoming remarks, the LRCS President Mr Harekete Nkhets’e thanked the IFRC for its continued support. “This workshop is momentous because of the continuous effects of climate change in the country.” he added,
Furthermore, he emphasized that the workshop precedes an official launch of a new project Friday the 14th June. As such, he hoped that the lessons learned would be applied in the following project.
This intervention was due to the storm surge that affected infrastructure, property, livelihoods, access to health services as well as food security in Maseru and Quthing districts in December 2023. child headed, poor and extremely vulnerable households were prioritised.
During implementation, the project was able to; provide cash transfers for re-roofing, provide WASH education and WASH kits, set up WASH clubs, provide hygiene kits, food parcels, psycho-social support as well as non-food items. However, the project faced numerous challenges such as time delays, unfriendly terrains, network issues and limited resources and time to conduct some activities.
In conclusion, Ms Sebongile Hlubi, Disaster Management Coordinator (DMC) thanked the house for the support they showed throughout the project. She further stated that it is her strong believe that all that has been learned in this workshop will be included and considered in the upcoming intervention.
Lastly, Mr Moleleko in his closing remarks stated “I would like to thank the IFRC in particular for the hard work they portray, their continued support not to forget all organisations present at this workshop and I plead that the lessons learned to be taken into consideration in order to avoid repeated mistakes.”
