Herd Boy Night School
Two Shepherd's Night Schools are run from the Semongkong Children's Centre, four nights a week, giving herd boys an opportunity to keep up their education while fulfilling their cultural obligation to tend cattle in the mountains. The boys walk for up to two hours in freezing temperatures to get to these schools.
Lesotho's boys and young men are culturally obliged to spend months on end in the mountains tending cattle, but this deprives them of an education. To give them a hopeful future, it is vital that they receive an education which is what these classes provide.
Julius Mojoro is the inspiring teacher who runs these schools. Around 60 herd boys usually attend and they are given a hot meal as well as classes.
Julius says: “Night school teaches the how to behave like a man and not like a wild person”.
English, Maths and Sesotho are taught - many of the boys cannot read or write. They realise that an education is important for their future.
Thabo, 14: “I want an education so that I can be a priest when I am older”.
When winter in Lesotho sets in, temperatures in the mountains drop below freezing, making life incredibly hostile for the herd boys. We have provided them with extra clothing through the night schools, including blankets, boots, and gloves to keep them as warm as possible.
© Sentebale 2011